Muhammad Ibn Abi al-Barakat Johari Neishabouri

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean.

A Revitalization

The sparkling ceramics of the days of yore in Kashan has captivated the heart of the enthusiasts for long to the extent that some sought to demystify the secret of those metallic colors During the last century, researchers and experts both in the West and the East have set forth different hypotheses about hundreds of lustre bowls and plates which have been honored as memorials in museums and personal collections, little did they know that one thousand years earlier scientists such as al-Razi and al-Biruni, and some other people after them, had already put the secrets of the ceramics and glazes in black and white. The efforts made by the late Iraj Afshar in publishing Iwo fundamental books on metals, stones, and mines opened a new chapter in this respect. His hard work in publishing two invaluable books entitled Javaher-name-ye Nezami by Muhammad Ibn Abi al-Barakat Johari Neishabouri in 592 AH/ c. 1196 AD and Arayes al-Jawaher va Nafayes al-Atayeb by Abul Ghasem Abdullah Kashani in 700 AH/ c. 1301 AD made a young scholar from this land determined to revitalize the lustre ceramies. Abbas Akbari, a senior alumnus from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, has worked with elay and glazes for more than twenty years, practically successful in restoring the lustre ceramics using the reduction technique with the same quality as before. He has made charming and fire-ish bowls, plates and sculptures with his own hands which have been on display inside and outside of Iran. Along with practical work, Akbari has not desisted researching and investigating about the works of the past. Having chosen the original land for lustre ceramics, Kashan, as his workplace and teaching place, he has published countless pamphlets of mnerits in the field to date and has got many young men and women to turn into his followers.

Parviz Tanavoli
June 2014