Mina’i Ware
A Reassessment and Comprehensive Study of Iranian Polychrome Overglaze Wares through Sherds
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:31st Jul '24
£130.00
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
Mina’i, or polychrome overglaze, ware was made in Iran between the late 12th and the early 13th centuries. However, most pieces in museums have in fact been rebuilt, often from pieces of multiple different vessels with extensive plaster fill and modern overpaint. Only by closely examining unrestored archaeological sherds – genuine fragments of pots – can we build an authentic picture of what mina’i ware actually looked like. In this innovative book, Richard P. McClary studies sherds in collections around the world to help us to understand the production, decoration and distribution of the wares. He then examines the increased popularity of mina’i ware from the late-19th to the mid-20th century, with a focus on the dealers, collectors and curators, as well as the various types of faking, restoration, repair and conservation that has occurred over the last century.
This is the first and most welcome monograph on the so-called mina’i wares. Its originality lies on the corpus, based here on sherds instead of on often unreliable complete vessels. Richard McClary’s erudite approach includes an attempt to classify these wares according to different styles. A valiant tour de force. -- Yves Porter, Aix-Marseille Université
McClary has authoritatively scoped out the surviving shattered and scattered vessels and few tiles that were once turned out in the workshops of Kashan in present-day Iran. In addition to synthesising copious secondary literature on mina’i ranging from archaeological reports to auction-lot descriptions, it is evident that the author has made wide-ranging visits to repositories holding mina’i materials. His book offers insights into the production, decoration, and distribution of these objects in the context of both their original period of manufacture and, more recently, in the modern art market[.] -- Jaimee Comstock-Skipp * Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society *
- Short-listed for The Islamic Republic of Iran's World Award for Book of the Year 2026 (UK)
ISBN: 9781399507165
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
360 pages