Technology of Luster Glaze Enamel Production, Based on the Formula in the Book of Jawāher-nāma-ye Ne_āmi

The enamel painting has a long history in Iran. However, this is a lost art and few glass artists are interested in enameling. The oldest traces of Zarrin Faam performed on glass containers were found in Egypt in the second century AH. Since then, this technique was used on glazed pottery at the Islamic era. Zarrin Faam, a thin layer of copper and silver nanoparticles, is an enamel in which luster glaze is used in painting and decorating on the glaze which is heated in reduced kiln as the third step. There are two historical literature about technology and composition of luster glazes: “Ar__es al-jaw_her wa naf__es al-a___eb”(by Abul Ghasem Kashani), and “Jaw_her-n_ma-ye Ne__mi”. But the only book that explains art of enameling on glass is the second one by “Mohammad Ibn al Barakat Neishabouri” written in 595 AH. The author has indicated the formulas for crystal enameling. In this research, two formulas of this book has been explained and, it was tried to adopt an experimental approach to introduce and recoge the art of lusterware enamel. Afterwards, technique of glass Meenakari or enameling was practiced. The chemical composition of this layer was investigated using scanning optical microscope, and the results suggested that vitreous Zarrin Faam enamel can be made in accordance with the formulas mentioned in the book, and under reduction conditions. It was found that type of glass, Mina compound or formula, and reduction condition are among the factors influencing the formation of lusterware layers. It is noteworthy that reduction firing includes several variables such as firing time, temperature, and fumigation intensity. It could be concluded that making lusterware at the proper way can be achieved by choosing the appropriate factors mentioned.