It was about a year ago that I encountered a beautiful painting in an old renovated mansion in the heart ofIsfahan. The piece had a certain energy that drew me to it.
Once I came to myself, I realized I had purchased the painting.
Working on my project, I delved into the image of the angel and the hands for long periods and decided to find out more about the painting and understand it more directly.
After some research, all I found was this: a rather elusive artist of Armenian descent in Isfahan’s Jolfa district frequently painted the image upon the request of affluent pregnant women.
They had faith in the angel, which was a symbol of love and protection, and would put the painting in their children’s rooms. Based on the hula hoop the children are playing with, I believe the piece is approximately sixty years old.
I never found the name of the artist; although there is a stamped mark in the form of a butterfly in the bottom of the piece.
Living with the piece all through the project’s development period has been inspiring, and the immense
energy from the piece that became more alive every day caused me to think about collaborating with
Butterfly!
Maryam “Mimi" Amini