The legendary Mal Reynolds GCF Adv shares best practice around his latest framing passion - Persian and Mughal artwork I have for some time been interested in Persian and Mughal artwork. This originates from my numerous travels in the Middle East and the Indian Sub-Continent but more recently to Mumbai and Marrakech. Much of the available artwork will at one time have formed the illustrations in books, though now removed to represent stand-alone pictures with script, either old Farsi or Arabic in the front and back.
EASTERN PROMISE The artwork tells centuries old stories of power, love and conflict, displayed in a rich and lustrous depth of colour, mainly gouache and/or earth pigments and combined with elements of decoration and the liberal use of gold leaf. Islamic illumination is normally used to illustrate manuscripts, religious text and the Koran. It makes use of differing styles including a variety of geometric and floral patterns, motifs and figures embodying such techniques as zarafshan(scattering gold) and tigh (needle-point) motifs. The borders surrounding artwork are usually comprised of a number of differing Arabic style arches and the extensive use of painted panels reflecting the colours within the artwork. Many of these panels are separated and enclosed within ruled lines which act to focus the eyes on particular hues within the picture. Of interest, the use of such panels predates the use of ruled lines and marbled panels in the west. These became popular in Britain, during what is considered as the ‘Golden Age of Watercolour’ between 1750 and 1850 in the classical school of English watercolourists which included Sandy, Girtin and Turner.
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Coloured mounts Much has been written about the use of coloured mounts and how these might enrich the colours within the artwork, drawing one’s eyes onto a particular subject. The same can be said of the use of border panels, either painted or marbled, and the ruled lines that encompass them. In some cases, this can subtly delineate the richness and depth of specific colours within the artwork. I was greatly influenced by a book called ‘The Grammar of Ornament’ which details the use of border panels. Importantly, it describes a number of propositions applicable to decoration including such subjects as harmony, proportion and colour but significantly the use of border panels and ruled lines. Along with my research into Persian and Mughal artwork, I have found these propositions most useful in mount decoration.
