Bidspirit auction | Persian Isfahan Antique Hand-Painted Enameled

Persian Isfahan Antique Hand-Painted Enameled Meenakari Copper Tray and 6 cups with saucers. - Persian Isfahan Antique Hand-Painted Enameled Meenakari Copper Tray and 6 cups with saucers. Size of tray: 19.5 x 29.5 cm. (7.6 x 11.6 inches) Height of cup: 3 cm. (1.2 inches) Diameter of saucers: 8.9 cm. (3.5 inches) Condition: Detached rim to 1/3 to two saucers, Detached handle to 2 cups, (one detached handle is missing) Some small damages to enamel. Total weight: 880 gr. Enameling or Meenakari is a method of painting and ornamenting the surface of metals such as gold, silver, and copper by fusing enameled colors over it. Mina is the feminine form of Meenoo in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina is formed as the result of heating a combination of metal oxides and types of salt between 750 and 850 centigrade. The most traditional and common method used in Isfahan is to paint on clear enamel. First, the coppersmith shapes the object into the intended form. Then, the Meenakari artist colors the surface with white enamel. Enameling is done 3 to 4 times, each time in a kiln with 700-degree heat to fix the color. After the white colored object is painted, the colors are fixed in a 400 to 500-degree kiln. Today chemical dyes are used for painting, while in the past natural and mineral dyes were used. Clarity of Mina is because of the tin oxide.