Craft comparison

Under review

Haft-rang tilework vs Velvet weaving (Makhmal-bafi)

کاشی هفت‌رنگ · مخمل‌بافی

Haft-rang tilework: Square polychrome tiles painted with several overglaze colours and fired together, allowing large architectural schemes to be produced faster than cut tile mosaic. Velvet weaving (Makhmal-bafi): A silk weaving technique producing a cut or voided pile on a foundation weave, used in Iran for garments, cushion covers and furnishing panels, with figured Safavid velvets among the most studied survivals.

Side by side

Haft-rang tileworkVelvet weaving (Makhmal-bafi)
Persian nameکاشی هفت‌رنگمخمل‌بافی
CategoryCeramics · Architectural tileTextiles · Pile silk weaving
Materialsclay, natural-dyessilk, metal-thread
Techniquesunderglaze-painting—
Regionsisfahan, kashan, yazdkashan, isfahan
Periodssafavid, qajar, contemporarysafavid, qajar
Motifsshah-abbasi, eslimi-arabesque, gol-o-morghgol-o-morgh
Current vitalityLiving traditionEndangered

What they share

  • Regions: isfahan, kashan
  • Motifs: gol-o-morgh
  • Periods: safavid, qajar

How to tell them apart

  • Materials such as clay, natural-dyes point towards Haft-rang tilework.
  • Materials such as silk, metal-thread point towards Velvet weaving (Makhmal-bafi).
  • Haft-rang tilework typically involves underglaze-painting.
  • The stated place of making is a useful clue, but never proof on its own.

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Disclaimer

This comparison is educational and built from entries still under review. It cannot confirm what a particular object is.