papier-mâché

Qalam and Qalamdan, which are essential tools for dissemination of knowledge, emerged along with development of civilization. As an ancient art, Qalamdan making has a significant role in Iranian culture. Qalamdan making in Iran was flourished during the Safavid and Qajar periods. During this period, Iranian Qalamdan painting was also influenced by the European style. Currently, exquisite Iranian Qalamdans are scattered in great museums of the world. The present study tends to answer the following questions: 1) What is the variety and shape of the Qajar Qalamdans in the Hermitage Museum? 2) What motifs and decorations are used to decorate the selected Qalamdans of the Qajar period?. The present study discusses the background of Qalamdan making and lacquer painting in Iran and Qalamdan painting themes in the Qajar period. Finally, conclusions are drawn from the findings by examining and analyzing the motifs and decorations of 35 Qajar Qalamdans kept in the Hermitage Museum. This study is descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method, and a documentary method is used to collect data.The Qalamdans of the Hermitage Museum are classified in two general categories in terms of shape: 1) sliding; 2) lidded. The number of sliding Qalamdans is more than the lidded Qalamdans. All the sliding Qalamdans have round heads, which have two different cutting methods 1) dragon fire; 2) oval. Dragon fire cutting method is more common than oval. The lidded Qalamdans also have a transverse cut. The theme of decorations of Qalamdans is diverse; among them landscape, bird-and-flowers, and angelica are the most frequent, which can be seen in the form of one subject or a combination of several subjects on one Qalamdan.

Lacquer paintings hold not only historical significance but also aesthetic value. The motifs and materials used in these artworks can vary depending on the cultural context of the society. Examining these types of works can provide valuable insights into the culture, economy, technology, and native materials of different ethnic groups. Lacquered paintings are considered highly valuable and require careful conservation measures. The purpose of this report is to present the protective process carried out on a lacquered bookbinding from the Qajar era. The initial investigation revealed the need for consolidation, separation of the leather from the bookbinding, surface cleaning, patching, restoration of the corners, priming, coloring, and final coating. To achieve this, the following materials and methods were employed: 5% Plextol for consolidation, a mixture of tissue paper pulp with gelatin and marble dust as a putty to restore the corners, a combination of HV360 adhesive with distilled water and marble dust for the primer layer, acrylic paint for coloring, and a final 3% polyvinyl butyral layer for further protection of the paint layers.

From the late 15th century onward, a new type of painting was introduced in Iran; this style of Persian painting of unknown origin was called “rawghani-sazi” or “oil-coating” and is mostly distinguished by a layer of oil or varnish, coating the paintings on objects with a papier-mâché base. Today, there are many examples of painted and varnished papier-mâché objects in museums and private collections around the world. Astan Quds Razavi Museum in Mashhad houses a remarkable collection of these artifacts as well. In this article, twenty qalam-dans or pen boxes in the Razavi museum collection are studied and introduced. The designs on these papier-mâché pen boxes illustrate different styles of paintings, ranging from spectacular flower-and-bird paintings to the less valuable printed copies. Only two of these pen boxes are signed and dated and the rest are unsigned and undated. All the studied works in this collection have been classified according to the type of the painted decorations on them. In each category, one pen box has been studied descriptively. Upon further examination, it became clear that, despite lacking the signature of the artist or calligrapher and the date of the work, half of these works are of high quality in terms of their painted decorations and illuminations while some of the pen boxes are of lower artistic quality. Some of the artifacts in this collection have been decorated with prints, stamps, and stickers upon which further painting, illumination, and gilding had been added. This last category belongs to the late Qajar period and is a testament to the decline of this beautiful art in Iran.

The Reconstruction of damaged cultural-historical artifacts is essential for facilitating communication with the audience and, in some cases, in their conservation. The methods used for reconstructing pottery artifacts vary based on their destructive characteristics, missing parts, and the requirements of the cultural-social context. These methods have been carried out using different materials and techniques throughout different periods. Naturally, as science advances in the field of conservation and restoration, these methods and materials continue to evolve. This article not only introduces some restoration methods for pottery objects but also delves into the restoration of delicate pieces using the papier-mâché technique. Reconstructing delicate objects presents challenges concerning stability and balance due to the added weight the use of numerous filling materials during the reconstruction of missing parts can create problems in maintaining the balance and stability of the artifact. Therefore, in order to assess the papier-mâché method in restoring delicate and lightweight pottery artifacts, a fine and lightweight vessel acquired from the archaeological excavations at the Silveh tepe, situated in West Azarbaijan province, was restored. The main objective of this article is to introduce and implement a fresh approach for reconstructing fragile pottery objects with papier-mâché, which is deemed a thoughtful method due to its lightness, strength, ease of modification, and ability to preserve the balance and stability of the artifacts.

Oversight and inaccurate interpretation to ancient written sources on the history of making papier-mâché figures in cultural domain of Iran has resulted in some mistakes in this field and correct information is not presented in most related sources about the history of this subject. It is commonly thought that the use of Papier-mâché for making masks and figures made of paper is an imported art which is related to contemporary era. However, current evidence of Iranian written heritage suggests that from the first century of Islamic calendar, this method of making objects existed in the Eastern world including Iran for making sculptures and masks of humans, animals and other objects which were used in different ceremonies. In this study, the authors have sought to find evidence for this issue by studying the ancient Persian literature, collected and selected from second hand resources. Ten texts are selected for this purpose which only deal with the main theme of study (i.e. the use of paper (or paperboard) for crafting Papier-mâché statuettes and masks). These texts are selected from the first century to the early 14th century AH. The study of documents is classified and arranged based on the time that each text has been written. ccordingly, and in general terms, the samples are divided into three sections. First category deals with travelogues and chronicles written by travelers and Iranian historians who have collected the customs and traditions of different countries. This section include subcategories: one of them is dedicated to countries located in eastern Iran and also the Far East, such as China, India and the surrounding areas. The other part deals with countries that are located in West Iran, such as Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The second category includes travelogues that foreign historians wrote during their travels to Iran, which mention a description of the living conditions as well as culture of Persians and are ultimately recorded by travelers themselves. Later, these travelogue-form accounts have been translated into Persian language, and have been considered a part of our important documents. The third category includes items written by Iranian writes about Iran describing events related to Persia. This evidence suggests that from the early centuries, Iranians were fully aware of this type of paper, paperboard and Papier-mâché applications for the construction of various objects, and they applied it to fit their different purposes. The main part of the paper is devoted to the review of the literature which indicate that Persians were acquainted with the manufacture of different types of masks and statuettes. However, some evidence that have been recorded by Persian historians deal with the events that occurred outside the borders of Iran. This paper intends to explore the long history of the use of Papier-mâché in Persian and Islamic culture and to change the way it is considered as an imported technique.