The Techniques of Persian Henna demonstrates that women’s hand and foot markings in pictorial and literary Persian art between the late 15th century and the mid 19th are representations of henna body art, and that this interpretation of the markings is corroborated by Persian literature and traveler’s descriptions. In The Techniques of Persian Henna, I show that the representations are idealized but plausible representations of henna, and they demonstrate the technical processes and social uses of henna art in Persia. These depictions can also be read for class, gender, and the evolving Persian concept of ideal women’s beauty into the period of increased European influence on style in the Qajar dynasty.
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For additional reading please view The Patterns of Persian Henna.
