Definition
The chiselling and piercing of steel into plaques, standards (alam), locks and fittings, often with inscriptions or arabesque openwork.
History
Pierced steel plaques and processional standards are documented from the Safavid period and are well represented in museum collections.
Dates and attributions here summarise common scholarly positions and are under editorial review; they are not definitive.
Technique
Steel sheet or bar is cut, pierced and chiselled; fine openwork requires hardened tools and patient filing, and pieces may be gilded or damascened.
Collecting and identification
Rust, missing sections and later mounting are common; inscriptions can help dating but should be read by specialists.
This guidance is educational only and is not an authentication or valuation service.
Reference samples
The reference samples on this page are documented objects in public collections, shown with their holding institution's attribution and licence. They illustrate the craft and are not for sale.
Gallery
Images are representative examples, not evidence for the sample marketplace records. Their sources and permission status are listed in the photography credits.
Marketplace
No objects of this craft are currently listed.
Reference samples in collections
Documented objects from museums, archives and auction records, shown for study. Not for sale; attributions are the holding institution's, not CraftPersia's.
Inscription Plaque, Possibly from a Door
c. 1693
forged steel, cut to shape and pierced
Cleveland Museum of Art · 1994.1 · CC0 (museum open access)
Sources & references
- Book: Wulff, H. E. The Traditional Crafts of Persia. MIT Press, 1966.
- Museum catalogue: Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access collection records for Iranian objects (accessed 2026-09-24).
Where origins, dates or symbolism are contested, this entry states the competing readings rather than choosing between them. Editorial analysis is not presented as documented fact.