Terminology

Glossary

واژه‌نامه

Persian craft vocabulary with its script, a transliteration and a short definition. Trade terms such as knot counts are used differently from one market to another, and the definitions say so.

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34 terms

Folio (manuscript leaf)برگ نسخهٔ خطی: barg; One leaf of a manuscript, with recto and verso faces; not the same as one numbered page or an entire manuscript.; Illumination (Tazhib)Nasta'liq calligraphy see: ru va posht-e barg see: moraqqaʿ
Boteh (paisley)بته: boteh; Teardrop-shaped motif with a curled tip. Interpretations (cypress, flame, leaf) differ and none is established.; Termeh Persian carpet see: termeh
Slip (ceramic surface)دوغاب سفالی: dughab-e sofali; A liquid clay suspension used in ceramic making or surface decoration. A slip layer and a vitreous glaze are not the same material.; Slip-painted ceramics see: kāshi see: naqsh-e shebh-e katibe
Gabbehگبه: gabbeh; A thick, long-piled rug with simple designs, associated with nomadic and village weavers of Fars.; Gabbeh see: qāli
Kilim (flatweave)گلیم: gelim; A flatwoven textile with no pile, in which coloured wefts form the design.; Persian carpet see: jājim see: qāli
Knotگره: gereh; The unit of pile in a carpet. Weavers and dealers use knot counts (raj or per square unit) as one measure of fineness, not of quality alone.; Persian carpet Tabriz carpet see: raj see: qāli
Gereh-chini (geometric lattice)گره‌چینی: gereh-chini; Wooden lattice built from interlocking geometric pieces, used in doors, windows and ceilings.; Khatamkari see: khātam
Seven-colour tileهفت‌رنگ: haft-rang; Tile technique in which several glaze colours are painted on one square tile and fired together; widely used on Safavid and later buildings.; Haft-rang tilework see: moʿarraq see: kāshi
Jajimجاجیم: jājim; A light warp-faced flatweave, often woven in narrow strips and sewn together; used as covers and bedding.; see: gelim
Glazed tileکاشی: kāshi; General term for glazed ceramic tile, used both for architecture and decorative panels.; Haft-rang tilework see: haft-rang
Khatam (micro-mosaic inlay)خاتم: khātam; Inlay built from bundled rods of wood, bone and metal cut into thin slices and laid in geometric star patterns over a wooden carcass.; Khatamkari see: moʿarraq see: gereh-chini
Copperمس: mes; Metal widely used for vessels and engraved ware; often tinned inside for food use.; Qalam-zani see: qalam-zani
Album (muraqqa)مرقع: moraqqaʿ; A bound album assembling paintings and calligraphy specimens, often from different hands.; Persian miniature Nasta'liq calligraphy see: tazhib
Moarraq (cut-piece inlay)معرق: moʿarraq; Mosaic technique in which separately cut pieces of wood or glazed tile are fitted together to form a design, as opposed to painting it on one surface.; Haft-rang tilework Khatamkari see: khātam see: haft-rang
Metal-threadنخ فلزی: nakh-e felezzi; Thread incorporating metal, sometimes as a strip wound around a core. “Metal-thread” does not by itself identify solid gold, an alloy or a particular construction.; Brocade weaving (Zari-bafi)Sermeh-duzi see: termeh
Ware name and localityنام گروه سفال و محل انتساب: nam-e goruh-e sofal; A ceramic classification and a geographical attribution are separate catalogue fields. A ware name should not silently replace the source’s stated locality.; Slip-painted ceramics see: dughab-e sofali see: kāshi see: naqsh-e shebh-e katibe
Whole view and detail viewنمای کلی و نمای جزئی: namay-e kolli va jozi; Complementary photographs of an entire object and a selected area; a detail must retain its connection to the actual object and cannot replace a complete condition record.; Zilu (Meybod)see: gelim
Roundel (circular ornament)نقش دایره‌ای: naqsh-e dayere-i; A circular ornamental unit or frame that can enclose figures or other motifs. A roundel does not establish a textile’s origin or universal symbolic meaning.; Brocade weaving (Zari-bafi)see: boteh
Pseudo-inscriptionنقش شبه‌کتیبه: naqsh-e shebh-e katibe; Letter-like decoration described as evoking writing without a securely readable inscription; not a licence to invent a transcription.; Slip-painted ceramics see: kāshi
Nastaliq scriptنستعلیق: nastaʿliq; A calligraphic script with sloping lines and long horizontal strokes, the classic hand of Persian poetry.; Nasta'liq calligraphy see: shekasteh see: qalam
Persian painting (miniature)نگارگری: negārgari; Painting tradition of manuscripts and albums, commonly called Persian miniature in English.; Persian miniature see: tazhib see: moraqqaʿ
Master (ostad)استاد: ostād; Title given to a master craftsperson who trains apprentices (shāgerd).; see: shāgerd
Reed penقلم: qalam; Cut reed pen used for calligraphy; the angle of the cut shapes the stroke. The same word means chisel in metalwork.; Nasta'liq calligraphy Qalam-zani see: nastaʿliq
Qalam-zani (metal engraving)قلمزنی: qalam-zani; Chasing and engraving of copper, brass or silver with small chisels and a hammer.; Qalam-zani see: mes
Pile carpetقالی: qāli; A hand-knotted pile carpet, usually larger than a rug (qālicheh).; Persian carpet Tabriz carpet see: qālicheh see: gereh see: gelim
Rugقالیچه: qālicheh; A smaller hand-knotted pile rug; the diminutive of qāli.; Persian carpet see: qāli
Raj (knot row count)رج: raj; Trade measure of knot density, counted as rows of knots over a set length (commonly 7 cm). Definitions vary between markets.; Tabriz carpet see: gereh
Cast and incised metalفلز ریخته‌گری و کنده‌کاری‌شده: rikhtegari va kandekari; A form made by solidifying molten metal in a mould, with cut surface detail added as a distinct working operation. The wording does not identify the exact mould system.; Qalam-zani see: qalam-zani see: qalam
Recto and versoرو و پشت برگ: ru va posht-e barg; The two faces of a leaf. Keep the institution’s face designations when recording photographs, text and decoration.; Illumination (Tazhib)Nasta'liq calligraphy see: barg
Apprenticeشاگرد: shāgerd; Apprentice learning a craft in a master's workshop.; see: ostād
Shekasteh scriptشکسته: shekasteh; A faster, more connected script that developed from nastaliq.; Nasta'liq calligraphy see: nastaʿliq
Illuminationتذهیب: tazhib; Gold and colour ornament on manuscript pages, borders and headings.; Persian miniature Nasta'liq calligraphy see: negārgari
Termehترمه: termeh; A patterned woven cloth traditionally of wool or silk, associated especially with Yazd.; Termeh see: boteh
Partial gildingزراندودکاری جزئی: zar-andudkari-ye jozi; Gold applied to selected areas of a different substrate; not evidence that the entire object is solid gold or that one particular gilding method was used.; Qalam-zani see: mes see: nakh-e felezzi

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