History of Mother of Pearl Inlay
Mother of pearl is the shiny, tough product that lines mussel and oyster shells and also various other fresh and also deep sea shellfish. Mother of Pearl Inlay likewise referred to as mother-of-pearl marquetry integrates this product with timber to create numerous decorative products.
The earliest instances of this art are located on Sumerian tombstones dated to 4000 B.C. Mother-of pearl marquetry was practiced particularly in eastern nations in the past. It got to an optimal of excellence under the Footrest Empire and also became a decoration strategy of which traditional instances can be located in Turkish-
Islamic art.
From the 15th century onwards, it was among the handmade preferred for ornamenting the doors and windows of mosques, royal residences, and manors, and also for devices
made use of in these structures.
Although this art was extensively practiced in the Far East, it reached its optimal in Anatolia under the Seljuks and Ottomans. Experts identify 5 separate colleges:
1- Viennese: In this method utilized in Austria, mother-of-pearl make-ups are divided by steel such as brass, copper as well as lead, and installed on black furnishings. The steel plates are surrounded by brass cables, and the mother-of-pearl is shattered arbitrarily and also repaired between.
2- Far Eastern: this is the overall name offered to the marquetry crafted in nations such as India, China, Japan and also Vietnam; which employs colored mother-of-pearl and also picturesque themes, normally on a black history.
3- Istanbul: An approach where mother-of-pearl, bag, ivory, and gemstones are inlaid to make a celebrity, polygonal and various other geometric styles.
4- Jerusalem: Marquetry is used on versions of the Al Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem, or to show the mosque in relief on items such as publication covers and also frameworks.
5- Damascus: A pre-drawn pattern is transferred onto a walnut structure. Cables are glued along the lines as well as the Mother of Pearl Handicrafts hammered within. With the payments of scuba diver Ahmet Aga and also designer “Sedefkar” (mother-of-pearl craftsman) Mehmet Aga, over a hundred workshops were opened in Istanbul as well
as decorating came to be a vital field employing over 5 thousand individuals.
However, the decline of the Ottoman Empire likewise brought the decline of this craft. A well-known Mother of Pearl Inlay in Marble craftsman was Sultan Abdulhamid II, who made inlaid things in the workshop he set up in Yildiz Royal residence. The Padishah was a specialist carpenter and inlayer, and the mother-of-pearl marquetry table and closet established he made came to be known via films regarding them. The craft, later on, involved a practically total standstill before being restored in Gaziantep.
In Gaziantep, mother-of-pearl inlay was first used only on gun handles. However, from the 1960’s, led by Nizipli Hanif Usta, it started to be utilized on other devices and also furniture, as well as developed rapidly. In Gaziantep, cord fretwork work was included into the designs, this strategy adding a brand-new dimension to marquetry the world over. MOP Inlay was created with skilfully integrated cord and also mother-of-pearl. Although the art as practiced in Gaziantep birthed resemblances to the Damascus college, it appears that the artisans created the school even more and created brand-new creation.
