Khatam: Persian Marquetry, Explained

How is khatam actually made?

The maker starts with rods, not with a drawing. Wood is split and planed into equilateral triangular sticks; brass is drawn into wire of the same profile; bone is cut and shaped to match. Six triangles bound around a central element produce a six-pointed star roughly the width of a pencil.

Those small bundles are glued and clamped, then combined into larger bundles, so the star repeats at increasing scale. The finished bar is left under pressure until the adhesive is fully cured, then sawn crosswise into sheets often less than a millimetre thick.

Each sheet is softened, pressed flat and glued onto the carcass of the object — a box lid, a frame, a door panel. The surface is then sanded back through progressively finer grits and finished with a clear lacquer or oil, which is what gives good khatam its glassy depth.

• Rods are shaped first; the pattern exists inside the bar before it is ever seen.
• Slicing, not carving, produces the motif.
• Curved surfaces need thinner sheets and more forgiving glues, which is why domed lids cost more.

Where does khatam come from?

Inlay traditions in Iran run deep, but khatam as it is recognised today matured under Safavid patronage from the sixteenth century, when Isfahan became a court workshop city and craftsmen fitted doors, shrine fittings and furniture with star mosaic. Shiraz developed its own strong line, and both cities still train makers.

The craft has survived through periods when cheap printed imitations flooded the bazaar. It remains one of the Iranian handicrafts most often shown in museum collections and at recognised craft cities, and it is still learned mainly by apprenticeship rather than in schools.

How do you tell good khatam from a printed imitation?

Printed film and transfer-paper fakes are common. Real khatam gives you physical evidence that a photograph cannot fake, and most of it can be checked in a few seconds by hand.

• Look at an edge or the inside of the lid — genuine inlay continues around corners and the layer has thickness.
• Tilt the piece to the light: brass elements catch light differently from bone and wood; a print stays uniformly flat.
• Count the stars per centimetre. Finer work with more, smaller stars takes far longer and is priced accordingly.
• Check alignment where two sheets meet. Skilled work matches the pattern across the seam.
• Bone yellows slightly and unevenly with age; plastic substitutes stay dead white.

How should khatam be cared for?

Khatam is a laminate of materials that respond differently to moisture, so the enemies are dryness, damp and direct sun rather than ordinary handling.

• Keep it away from radiators, direct sunlight and humidifiers; sudden swings lift the veneer.
• Dust with a dry soft cloth. Avoid water, alcohol and household sprays.
• Do not store it in a sealed plastic bag; trapped moisture stains bone.
• Lifted or missing slivers can usually be re-laid by a restorer — do not glue them yourself with a general-purpose adhesive.

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