KhatamKari

[Rasputin]

Delicate and meticulous marquetry, produced since the Safavide period: at this time, khatam was so popular in the court that princes learned this technique at the same level of music or painting.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, katahm declined, before being stimulated under the Reign of Reza Shah, with the creation of craft schools in Tehran, Isfahan, and Chiraz. "Khatam" means "incrustation", and "Khatam-kari", "incrustation work".

This craft consists in the production of incrustation patterns (generally star shapped), with thin sticks of wood (ebony, teak, ziziphus, orange, rose), brass (for golden parts), camel bones (white parts). Ivory, gold or silver can also be used for collection objects.

Sticks are assembled in trinagular beams, themselves assembeled and glued in a strict order to create a 70cm diameter cylinder, which section is the main motif: a six-branch star included in a hexagon.

These cylinders are cut into shorter cylinders, and then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before being cut for the last time, in 1mm wide tranches. So this section is ready to be plated and glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer finishing.

The tranche can also be heaten to be soften to follow curves of a rounded object. Many objects can be so decorated, such as: boxes, chessboards, cadres, pipes, desks or some musical instruments.

Katham can be used on Persian miniature, realising true work of art.

Coming from techniques imported from China and improved by Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still perennial in Ispahan and Chiraz.

[Rasputin]

صنعت خاتم*سازی از هنرهای ظریفه*ای است که سابقه و ریشه*ای بسیار کهن دارد.
خاتم ترکیبی است از چند ضلعی*های منظم با تعداد اضلاع متفاوت که با استفاده از مواد اولیه گوناگون در رنگ*های مختلف تشکیل می*شود.

در لغت*نامه دهخدا خاتم*ساز چنین معنی شده است : « آنکه پاره*های استخوان را در چوب با نقش و نگار بنشاند. خاتم*سازی عمل خاتم*ساز را گویند.» در دایره المعارف فارسی درباره خاتم*کاری و خاتم*سازی آمده است:« هنر آراستن سطح اشیاء به صورتی شبیه موزائیک ،با مثلث*های کوچک. طرح*های گوناگون خاتم همواره به صورت اشکال منظم هندسی بوده است .

این اشکال هندسی را با قراردادن مثلث*های کوچک در کنار هم نقش*بندی می*کنند.مثلث*ها را از انواع چوب ،فلز و استخوان می*سازند. هرچه مثلث*ها ریزتر وظریفتر باشند، خاتم مرغوب*تر است .در یک طرح خاتم ،برای ساختن کوچک*ترین واحد هندسی، حداقل سه مثلث و برای بزرگ*ترین آن ،حداکثر چهارصد مثلث به کار می**رود.»

مراحل تولید خاتم

ابتدا انواع چوبها واستخوان*هارا دررنگ*های مختلف تهیه کرده و با ابزار مخصوص خود به طول ۳۰ سانتیمتروقطر ۱تا ۵/۲میلی*متر می*برند وازآنها مثلث*هایی تهیه می*شود که پس از سوهان*کاری تمام اضلاع آن به حالت دلخواه و مطابق با طرح درآمده و برای تکمیل طرح نیاز به مفتول*های سیمی به صورت مثلث بوده که برای آماده*سازی آنها نیز مراحل مختلفی طی می*شود سپس برای درست کردن خاتم ابتدا طرح اشکالی که مورد نظر است را به وسیله استادکار کشیده واین مثلث*ها ی چوبی ،استخوانی و فلزی با دستان بامهارت و استادانه هنرمند در کنار هم به وسیله سریشم قرار داده و چسبانده می*شوند و به وسیله نخ محکم می*گردند که از این کار اصطلاحاً «پره» درست می*شود ،بعد از چند ساعت نخ*ها باز شده واضلاع طرح سوهان*کاری شده و چهار عدد از پره*های ساخته شده را در کنار هم قرار می*دهند و مجدداً با چسب به هم چسبانده می*شوند که حاصل آن «توگلو» به دست می*آید.

مرحلهٔ بعدی که به «گل پیچی» مشهور است، به وسیله سیم مفتولی گردی که آنرا به صورت شش ضلعی منظم آماده می*شود وبه آن «شمسه» می*گویند در اطراف هر ضلع شش سیم به وسیله سریشم چسبانده می*شود و با نخ محکم می*شود و حاصل آن طرح ستاره*ای است ،این طرح*ها آنقدر تکرار می*شوند تا بر اساس طرح مورد نیاز در آمده و سپس در زیر فشار و پرس قرار گرفته و با چند مرحله برش*کاری و چسبانده لایه*های بسیار نازک چوب دراطراف آن طرح اولیه یک خاتم به وجود می**آید که تمامی این مراحل از ابتدا تا بدین جا بیش از ۴۰۰ مرحله کاری را شامل می*شود.

خاتم*ها بر اساس طرح ،رنگ ،شکل و ابعاد محل مورد استفاده بر روی سطح کار بوسیله چسب مخصوص چسبانده شده و با ایجــاد طرح*های گوناگون و قرینه*سازی تمامی سطح طرح به وسیله خاتم مزین می*گردد که پس از برخی ترمیم*ها ،سوهان، سمباده و بتونه*کاری و نهایتاً ساییدن و صاف*کردن سطح خاتم ،کار برای روغن*کاری وجلابخشی به وسیله مواد مخصوص مانند سیلر و کیلرو پولیستر آماده می*شود. مرغوبیت یک خاتم خوب به ریز نقشی ومنظم بودن طرح بستگی دارد که همهٔ اینها در مهارت استادکار در تهیهٔ مواد اولیه و نحوه کاربرد آن و حوصله و دقت بسیار زیاد خلاصه می*شود.

[Rasputin]

Materials used in this craft can be gold, silver, brass, aluminum and twisted wire. Various types of inlaid articles and their quality are known by the size and geometrical designs. Smaller pieces result in a higher value of the artwork, Iran Daily reported.

This craft consists in the production of incrustation patterns (generally star-shaped), with thin sticks of wood (ebony, teak, ziziphus, orange, rose), brass (for golden parts), camel bones (white parts). Ivory, gold or silver can also be used for collection objects. These sticks are assembled in triangular beams, assembled and glued in a strict order to create a geometrical motif such as a six-branch star included in a hexagon.

At times, cylinders are cut into shorter cylinders and then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before being sliced for the last time, in 1 mm wide tranches. These sections are ready to be plated and glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer finishing.

The tranche can also be softened through heating in order to wrap around objects. Many objects can be decorated in this fashion, including jewelry boxes, chessboards, pipes, desks, frames or musical instruments.

Design and Usage

Marquetry designing is highly elaborate. In each cubic centimeter of space, up to approximately 250 pieces of metal, bone, ivory and wood are laid side by side. This art, to some extent, has existed in Iran from long ago.

Inlaid articles in the Safavid era took on a special significance, as artists used this art on doors, windows, mirror frames, Qur’an boxes, pen and penholders, lanterns and tombs.

The ornamentation of the doors of holy places predominantly consists of inlaid motifs. These specimens can be observed in the cities of Mahshad, Qom, Shiraz and Rey. In the Safavid era, the art of marquetry flourished in the southern cities of Iran, especially in Isfahan, Shiraz and Kerman.

An inlaid desk, which is one of the definitive masterpieces of this art, was awarded the first prize and a gold medal in an art exposition in Brussels recently. This desk is now preserved in the National Museum of Washington. Also, in some royal buildings, doors and various items have been inlaid. The inlaid-ornamented rooms in Sa’dabad and Marble Palace in Tehran are among masterpieces of this art.

In Safavid era, khatamkari was so popular in the court that princes learned this technique alongside the art of music or painting. In the 18th and 19th centuries, khatamkari declined, before being stimulated under the reign of Reza Shah, with the creation of art schools in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

Incorporating techniques from China and improving it with Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still practiced in Shiraz and Isfahan.

Current Status

Currently, this art is being practiced in Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran. Inlay masters, preserving the nobility of their art, have brought forth great innovations in this fine art.

Woodcarving is one of the outstanding Iranian arts, which require dexterity and artistic skills. It provides wood, ivory or bone in simple or complex shapes for use in khatamkari.

Excellent specimens can be found in historical mosques, palaces and buildings. Some of the Iranian inlaid works are preserved in museums at home or abroad.

Images of leaves, flowers, birds and animals predominate.

Latticed woodwork, which developed later into an exquisite art, is also manually made by craftsmen. Old latticed doors and windows of Iran are famous.

Among other artworks, sudorific inlaid work can be mentioned. In this kind of inlaid work, the artist strictly avoids protrusions on the wood surface. The images carved on natural wood of various colors are finely inlaid. After the application of a fine finish, an even surface is produced. The art of inlaid and sudorific woodwork is supported by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization. These arts are also practiced in private workshops.

Khatamkari is part of Iran’s artistic heritage. Official support can help preserve this heritage for future generations.

[mahtab_persia]

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