Mirror-Image Calligraphic Composition

first half 20th century

Not on view

Reverse painting on glass is a decorative technique in which artists apply paint, gold leaf, and silver leaf to the back of a sheet of glass. The finished image is viewed from the opposite side, through the glass itself. It originated in Europe, but after the seventeenth century, it spread beyond Europe to China, India, Africa, and Iran. In Iran, the technique became popular in the early twentieth century when it was used to depict portraits of the rulers, princes, princesses, and royal and other couples.

This example features a mirror-image (musanna) calligraphic design with the name of God (Allah) and members of the Prophet’s family: Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn. It is enclosed in the shape of a cypress with a stem that sprouts into two paisley-shaped calligrams at the bottom. Two crowns are found on either side of the cypress at the very top.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Mirror-Image Calligraphic Composition
Date: first half 20th century
Geography: Made in Iran
Medium: Paint on glass
Dimensions: H. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
W. 21 in. (53.3 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Lisa Robins Pauze and family, in memory of Betty Dashew Robins and Arthur J. Robins, 2026
Object Number: 2026.275.2
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Flight of the Dolphin, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian Iranian, Mirror mosaic, reverse glass painting, glue and plaster on wood — Flight of the Dolphin
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Assembly of Four Sufis, Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper — Assembly of Four Sufis
late 19th–early 20th century

Two Reverse Glass Paintings: Abdallah and al-Yamina on a Horse; Two Horsemen, Painted on glass — Two Reverse Glass Paintings: Abdallah and al-Yamina on a Horse; Two Horsemen
possibly 1950s–60s

Daf, Goatskin, vine stock, Iranian — Daf
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ca. 1915

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