Persian Miniature

ペルシア細密画 / 13th–17th century / Style / Persian and Indian Painting

Multiple viewpoints, jewel-like pigments and a composition unafraid of empty space paint poetry and history as complete worlds contained inside a book.

Persian Miniature — Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, 1520s — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, 1520s — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Persian Miniature — Noah's Ark, from the Hafiz-i Abru manuscript — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Noah's Ark, from the Hafiz-i Abru manuscript — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Persian Miniature — Herat school, Gulistan manuscript, 1486 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Herat school, Gulistan manuscript, 1486 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Multi-viewpoint space
Saturated mineral pigments
Ornamentalized nature
Script united with image

Best used for

Illustration that shows several moments of a story in one sheet
Books and bindings where text setting and image share one design

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Dictionary entry

Type: Build the text panel into the picture, one ruled order for both
Composition: Depth by height instead of perspective, figures spilling past the border
Material: Hold mineral saturation, tighten planes with fine outlines and gold points
Caution: Converting the multiple viewpoints into single-point perspective collapses the space and destroys the picture's ability to narrate simultaneous events.
Further study: The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp / the Herat and Tabriz schools / Bihzad

Related entries

Mughal Miniature (ムガル細密画)Same Persian and Indian Painting lineage.Compare Persian Miniature and Mughal Miniature
Kufic (クーフィー体)Shared effects: Luxury / Calm.Compare Persian Miniature and Kufic

Often confused with

Mughal Miniature (ムガル細密画)compare

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/persian-miniature
Markdown: [Persian Miniature — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/persian-miniature)
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