Lot 528: Stars

Stars mirror, reverse glass painting and plaster on wood, framed signed "Monir.Sh-Farmanfarmaian Tehran" and dated "November 2005" in English and Farsi (on the reverse), executed in 2005 90 x 50 x 4cm (35 7/16 x 19 11/16in).

50 x 4cm

: Dubai, The Third Line, Recollection: Works by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, 2007

: Property from a private collection, Paris

Monir Farmanfarmain's work is a testament to the marriage of art and craft which defines the visual legacy of Iran. The unity of these two traditions is a hallmark of Iranian art, whose artisanal roots continue to shape a visual tradition defined by skill, application and a striving for technical excellence. The unique nature of her work lies in her medium of choice, mirrored tiles, which she uses to great effect. This technique draws on the tradition of Persian ayneh-kari or mirror work. Mirror work was a distinct artistic feature of Persian stately homes and palaces, with the Hall of Mirrors in the Golestan Palace and the Shrine of Imam Reza generally recognized as the finest examples of this applied art-form. The cutting of glass into strips and tiles and their adjacent placement created a stunning visual effect, and one which Monir uses to great effect. It should, however, be noted that mirror work always stood as a secondary decorative component of a larger structure. Through her works, Monir disengages mirror work from its dependence on architecture, and in doing so, re-invents it as an individual art form, and no longer a mere ornament. The circular and polygonal shapes Monir uses hark back to traditional Islamic geometric and curvilinear patterns. The patterns themselves have profound religious connotations; whilst portraiture and humanist art was deemed profane, Islamic artists sought abstract methods of expressing the power and splendour of the divine. Scrolling forms give the impression of unending repetition, a symbol of infinity and the infinite nature and wisdom of God. The use of the circle again represents divine perfection and completeness. In addition to the consistent use of these shapes, Monir's mirror work is shaded in red, green and white, the colours of the traditional Iranian urban landscape. Ultimately, Monir's artistic production is a synthesis of Persian elements and a more captivating, modernist flair. Whilst her work speaks the language of her country's traditional architecture, its abstraction makes it universally accessible, engendering a work which is as meaningful as it is aesthetic.