A companion piece to “The Artful Steppe,” the present photo essay emerged from a May 2015 journey to Iran with Yale Educational Travel. Mirrors, real and metaphorical, were everywhere, from the bazaars of today to the palaces and gardens of the past. The scarf-framed faces of women were also everywhere, as individuated as these mannequins. […]
Read more "01"From the time of Darius’ hall of glossy stones at Persepolis, Iranian art and architecture have delighted in the interplay of materials, some lustrous and vivid, others not. The 18th century saw the introduction of mirrors and colored glass into programs of white stucco work, as seen here in the house of a wealthy merchant […]
Read more "02"In the 19th century, European styles, colors, and motifs began to influence Iranian decorative arts, especially in the ways notables embellished the public areas of their residences. Four pharmacists touring the Narenjastan villa in Shiraz pose in exuberant, westernizing prints against the similarly adorned panels and pilasters of the reception suite. So too, flowers in […]
Read more "03"The Alexander of Persian legend possessed a wondrous mirror that showed his entire world. In much palatial mirror work, we see sumptuous reflections of Iran’s great diversity of peoples and cultures. On this Golestan Palace ceiling, for example, we recognize the grids and fillers of the northwest, as embroidered on this spice-seller’s tunic. Another spice-seller, […]
Read more "04"As the 19th century Persian poet Ghalib put it, “The garden is the verdigris on the mirror of the spring breeze.” Here the image comes to life in a Shiraz mirror shop. The mythical phoenix rises from the flames, its mirrored wings and body taking on the greens of fresh growth in the courtyard garden […]
Read more "05"The perfect mirrors of Persian garden pools inspire contemplation and introspection. For mystics, such as the 15th century Shah Nematollah Vali, whose Kerman mausoleum is seen here, they provided metaphorical means of seeing God and acquiring spiritual knowledge. For these art students visiting the Bagh-e Tarikhi garden in Mahan, its waters may have evoked a […]
Read more "06"If, as the saying goes, “Isfahan is half the world,” then the reflections of its splendid bridges complete the whole. The oldest span, shown here, enlarges the metaphor, with strengthening parabolas in two planes, one gently curving from bank to bank, the other forming its mirror-image stone piers, facing upstream and down. Seated on another […]
Read more "07"To avert the evil eye, the first household items a bridegroom gives his bride in a traditional Persian marriage ceremony are two candlesticks, a mirror, and a Koran. Here, a set shines in silver filigree, reflecting the Lotfallah Mosque on the Royal Square of Isfahan. The turquoise of its tiles encircles the radiant face of […]
Read more "08"In Persian mysticism, the mirror often serves as a metaphor for incarnation: the soul projects its image into a mirror, thereby becoming part of the material world. Generation thus succeeds generation, as interconnected and repeating as this mirrored, gilded ceiling design in the Palace of Forty Columns, or this mother and child, linked by their […]
Read more "09"Near Yazd is a Zoroastrian village with a modest fire temple whose ever-burning flame is tended by this laywoman. She, transported by her sacred duty, gazes into other realms, while inside the sanctuary Zoroaster shimmers, etched in glass, preaching of good and evil, light and dark, as shade, sun, and self-reflection pass over the mirror. […]
Read more "10"The heart of the Hasht Behesht (“Eight Paradises”) Palace in Isfahan is a domed, octagonal chamber of mirrors, which, according to Persian mysticism, reveals all the spheres of the self. Rings of darkness gradually lighten as they rise toward mirror facets, dazzling to behold, a reflected vision of God, the beauty of His creation, and […]
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