The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar will present a lecture on June 20th about the technical examination of a Mina'i pottery bowl from their collection. The bowl has an unusual design and had been broken and restored in the past, hiding the original surface. Museum conservators conducted further studies using different examination techniques to determine the original pieces and design. The lecture will discuss the results and observations from these examinations.

1. Press Release
QMA’s Museum of Islamic Art to present a lecture on the study of a Mina’i
pottery bowl on 20 June
Doha, 7 June 2012- The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is organizing a lecture
titled “Technical Examinations of a Mina’i Pottery Bowl” by conservator Johanna
Olafsdotter on Wednesday 20 June 2012 at 6:30 pm at the MIA Education Center.
The Mina’i bowl presented in this lecture belongs to the museum’s collection and
shows an unusual and remarkable design. It was selected for study by ceramics and
stucco curator Leslee Michelsen and object conservator Johanna Olafsdotter.
A lecture was given previously by Michelsen on Mina’i ware titled “Telling Tales:
Narrative Discourse and Mina’i Pottery” during which the first study of the
decoration on this bowl was presented. As for the upcoming lecture by Olafsdotter,
it will present the different examination techniques that were employed to study
the bowl and the results and observations that were made.
The bowl has broken and been restored in the past with extensive over paints and
filling materials hiding the original surface. Therefore, MIA conservators and
curators carried out further studies and examinations at the conservation
department in order to try and determine the original pieces and design.
The luxury over-glazed polychrome painted wares called Mina’i, which is the
Persian term for enamel, were produced in Iran during a short period of time in the
second half of the twelfth century. The production of these wares was complicated
as it involved several firings and different glazing techniques. The decorations on
these wares typically include scenes with tales from Persian legends, often
compared to those found in the miniatures of manuscript illumination from books
published during the same period.
Attendance at the lecture is open to the public free of charge. Arabic translation
will also be available.

2. -ends-
For further information, please contact Omar Chaikhouni, Public Relations
Manager at Qatar Museums Authority +97444224608.
About Qatar Museums Authority
Established in 2005 by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al
Thani to combine the resources of all museums in the State of Qatar, Qatar
Museums Authority (QMA) is a governmental organization whose remit is to
develop museums and cultural institutions and provide an effective system for
collecting, protecting, preserving and interpreting historic sites, monuments and
artifacts. Under the leadership of its Chairperson H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa, QMA
is transforming the State of Qatar into a cultural hub of the Middle East. The
Museum of Islamic Art, inaugurated in 2008, is the Authority’s flagship project.
The organization won further global acclaim with the December 2010 opening of
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. QMA’s goal of becoming a “global leader
in the world of museums, art and heritage” will be advanced in the coming years
with ambitious, world-class projects, including the Jean Nouvel-designed National
Museum of Qatar. For further information, please visit www.qma.org.qa.
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