Hey Ladies (and sheep)
June 1, 2018 6:26 PM Subscribe
I found this art at a thrift store. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I would like to know more about it.
The piece is about 12" wide x 24" tall by 1½" deep, thin veneer on what seems to be solid wood. It appears to be think wood a lacquer or resin under a solid later of varnish.
The patterned bowl and hat on the standing woman appears to be some sort of mosaic or inlay, but I'd find it easy to believe that that was pre-made and cut to fit this. The women's jewelry is painted on, as are the gold disks. To me, the piece over all has cottage industry feel - pre-printed pieces assembled by hand and painted on to sell cheaply in shops.
There is a paper tag on the back of the piece that says MADe IN IRAN but could have been added any time so I don't know what to make of it. The piece is signed, but I can't read it well enough to be sure if it is Roman or Arabic characters.
I'd generally like to know more about the piece, which I like, but I would especially like to know if there's any particular meaning or symbolism in the scene that I might be ignorant of, lest I be more culturally appropriative than I'm already being. (E.g. I don't mind at all if it is a religious scene. I just want to be sure it isn't offensive to have in my living room.)
The piece is about 12" wide x 24" tall by 1½" deep, thin veneer on what seems to be solid wood. It appears to be think wood a lacquer or resin under a solid later of varnish.
The patterned bowl and hat on the standing woman appears to be some sort of mosaic or inlay, but I'd find it easy to believe that that was pre-made and cut to fit this. The women's jewelry is painted on, as are the gold disks. To me, the piece over all has cottage industry feel - pre-printed pieces assembled by hand and painted on to sell cheaply in shops.
There is a paper tag on the back of the piece that says MADe IN IRAN but could have been added any time so I don't know what to make of it. The piece is signed, but I can't read it well enough to be sure if it is Roman or Arabic characters.
I'd generally like to know more about the piece, which I like, but I would especially like to know if there's any particular meaning or symbolism in the scene that I might be ignorant of, lest I be more culturally appropriative than I'm already being. (E.g. I don't mind at all if it is a religious scene. I just want to be sure it isn't offensive to have in my living room.)
Best answer: I also can’t read the signature, but I can tell you it is a traditional Iranian image to celebrate the new year. If you image search ‘khatoon’ and ‘norooz’ you’ll see lots of very similarly stlylized paintings, but I haven’t found one with inlay quite like yours. A khatoon is a title of nobility (like a feminine ‘khan’). Norooz means New Year (literally ‘new day’). Apples symbolize beauty and health, and are part of a traditional display of symbolic items called haft-sin.
I found a very similar image here.
posted by ananci at 11:00 PM on June 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
I found a very similar image here.
posted by ananci at 11:00 PM on June 1, 2018 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: Wow, that's a pretty identical image! Thank you. Now I can hang it up!
Twitter also confirmed that the image is Iranian and pointed me toward Khatam as the technique.
posted by maryr at 7:39 AM on June 2, 2018
Twitter also confirmed that the image is Iranian and pointed me toward Khatam as the technique.
posted by maryr at 7:39 AM on June 2, 2018
The signature looks to say معصومی ("Mousumi"), if you're curious about the name. My cursive reading isn't great, so it's a guess (but that's plausible for a persian surname).
posted by neda at 6:58 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by neda at 6:58 AM on June 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by greermahoney at 7:42 PM on June 1, 2018 [7 favorites]