Zinat al-Sadat Emami

Zinat al-Sadat Emami (; born Sakina al-Sadat Emami on 14 February 1935) is an Iranian miniature painter and practitioner of traditional Iranian arts. Her work encompasses Persian painting, manuscript illumination, tash'ir, flower-and-bird painting, gilding and sukht, a technique combining painted, cut and inlaid leather.

Emami is the daughter of the painter and lacquer artist Mirza Aqa Emami and a member of the Emami family of Isfahan. She is particularly known for the panel Mi'raj, a large work combining several forms of painting, illumination, leather mosaic and gilding, which she produced over approximately three decades.

Early life and family Emami was born on 25 Bahman 1313 in the Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding to 14 February 1935, in Isfahan. She grew up in a family associated with painting, manuscript decoration, lacquerwork and the applied arts.

Artistic career Emami has worked in Persian painting, illumination, tash'ir, flower-and-bird painting, leather cutwork and gilding. Much of her career has been devoted to preserving techniques associated with the traditional workshops of Isfahan and transmitting them through teaching.

In addition to producing independent artworks, Emami has taught students through classes and workshops. Her teaching has included miniature painting, illumination, flower-and-bird painting and the processes used in sukht.

Her work in this medium has been the subject of academic research, including a master's thesis devoted to leather sukht mosaic with particular reference to her works.

Mi'raj Emami's best-known work is the panel Mi'raj, depicting the ascension of Muhammad. The panel measures approximately 100 by 130 centimetres and took about three decades to complete.

The completed panel was publicly unveiled at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Isfahan in December 2006 during an exhibition organised in connection with an international conference on prophetic art.

Other works Works attributed to Emami include:

Bahram Gur The Throne of Solomon Noah's Ark Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden The Nomad Golriz Qur'an flower-and-bird paintings and floral compositions illuminated Qur'ans and calligraphic panels

These works employ different combinations of miniature painting, illumination, tash'ir, leatherwork and gilding.

Recognition Emami received the High Award at the first edition of Iran's Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts. Holders of the award from the first three editions were subsequently approved to receive a first-class artistic certificate from Iran's national council for the evaluation of artists.

In 2006, she was honoured in Isfahan as a prominent practitioner of sukht.

The Iranian Society for the Appreciation of Cultural Works and Dignitaries held a ceremony in her honour on 23 December 2022. The society subsequently published a volume titled The Life and Cultural and Artistic Contributions of Zinat al-Sadat Emami, containing biographical material and essays on her work.

An exhibition honouring Emami was presented in Isfahan in January 2024 as part of an exhibition devoted to women artists from the city.

Documentary Emami was the subject of the documentary Continuing Beauty , directed by Reza Abbasi and produced by Sadra Sedouqi. The film was made as part of the television documentary series Mirror of a Lifetime and was broadcast on Iran's Channel 4 in February 2025.