TEHRAN – The University of Art, in collaboration with the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran, is set to hold a scientific session titled “Examining the Art of Glassmaking in Iran.”

The session will feature researchers and experts in the field, exploring the history, technology, and significance of glassmaking in Iran, ISNA reported.

The event will include presentations by several scholars and specialists. Somayeh Noughani, faculty member of the Cultural and Historical Artifacts Restoration Department at the University of Art, will discuss “The Story Told by Glass: A Scientific Perspective on Ancient World Technology.”

Navid Salehvand, director of the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran, is set to present “An Inquiry into the Evolution of Iranian Glassmaking: From Its Origins to the End of the Sassanid Era.”

In addition, Abbas Karimi, an artist and researcher specializing in historical glass, will speak on “The Importance of Manufacturing Technology in 4th and 5th Century (Seljuk Era) Glass.”

Katayoun Mohammadian, collection custodian at the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran, will address “Night Lamps: Lighting Tools in the Glassware and Ceramic Museum of Iran”, while Hanieh Nikkhah, faculty member of the Islamic Art Department at the University of Art, will examine “Glass as the Origin of Lusterware Pottery.”

The session is scheduled for March 2, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 at the Research Institute of Art Hall at the University of Art.

Glimpses of traditional glasswork in Iran

Making handmade glasswork has a long history in Iran as archaeological evidence suggests its antiquity dates back to c. 2000 BC. As mentioned by Visit Iran, materials discovered from various sites such as the UNESCO-listed sites of Tchogha Zanbil, Susa, Persepolis, and the regions of Lorestan evidenced this claim.

Different methods of making traditional glass are three ways: blowing, mold-bowling, and pressing. To produce glass with the blowing technique (free-blowing) at first, the raw materials of glass, which are mostly glass particles, are poured into the furnace to be melted.

After being completely melted, the workman soaks a blowpipe named Dam in the molten glass while rotating it.  The workman bowls into the Dam after taking a small portion of molten glass, which is now called Baar, and spooling it at one end of the blowpipe, resulting in a small bubble then named “the first ball”.

During the next phase, another portion of Baar is taken from the furnace spooling around the first ball and the workman creates the desired shape by forming the ball using a tool named “wooden spoon”. If the produced objects are exposed to normal air, they will break immediately after cooling.

Therefore, there exists a hothouse inside the glass workshops with 45-55° C temperatures where the objects are gradually cooling with temperature change in the atmosphere of the room. In the mold-blowing method, a portion of molten glass is taken from the furnace using a Dam and after preparing and blowing, another portion is added to the first ball, heated, and finally inflated into a mold to get the shape of the mold.

AM