Persian Journal, Iran
29 Oct. 2004

History of Persian Miniature
Oct 29, 2004, 13:33
Iranchamber

It is difficult to trace the origins of the art of Persian miniature,
as it reached its peak mainly during the Mongol and Timurid periods
(13th – 16th Century). Mongolian rulers of Iran instilled the cult of
Chinese painting and brought with them a great number of Chinese
artisans. Paper itself, reached Persia from China in 753 AD. Hence, the
Chinese influence is very strong.

The most important function of miniature was illustration. It gave a
visual image to the literary plot, making it more enjoyable, and easier
to understand. Miniature developed into a marriage of artistic and
poetic languages and obtained a deep and sincere accordance with
poetry.

During the last ten centuries there have been many great literary works
to inspire the great artists of their day. At the end of the 10th
Century, Ferdowsi created his immortal epic poem “Shahnameh” (The Book
of Kings), which at some 50 thousand couplets, relates through fact and
legend, the history of the country from the creation of the world to
the Arab conquests in the 7th Century. In the 12th Century, the poet
Nezami created his romantic “Khamsa” (five stories in verse), which was
very popular, and was imitated several times by Indian poets writing in
Persian.

The 13th Century saw the creation of great works by Saadi, the author
of the famous “Bustan” and “Golestan”. Golestan is a collection of
moralizing and entertaining anecdotes and proverbs written in elegant
rhymed prose, and at intervals, with fitting lines of verse. Bustan is
a didactic poem, lyrical in tone and anecdotal in composition. It is
considered to be one of the masterpieces of Persian literature.

In the 14th Century, there were enlightening and romantic works by Amir
Khosroe Dehlavi, Khajoo Kermani, Hafez, and Kamal Khodjandi. While the
15th Century was the time for the many faceted poet Jami, who wrote the
seven epic poems called “Haft Owrang”(The Seven Thrones or Ursa Major).
His poetry embraced all the different categories of preceding
literature.

This great wealth of inspiring literature gave rise to the emergence of
many important miniature schools, each with its own unique style,
creating a great diversity of paintings. It was through these schools
that miniature painting achieved its splendid development both in Iran
and central Asia. Three of the most influential schools were in Shiraz,
Tabriz, and Herat.

In the 13th and 14th Centuries Shiraz, the capital of Fars witnessed a
new rise in the development of its cultural life. This was the time of
Saadi, Khajoo Kermani, and Hafez. Poetry flourished and so did
miniature. One of the most important works for the illustrators of the
period was “Shahnamah”, and in Shiraz there were a large staff of
painters dedicated to it. In the Shiraz miniatures of the 14th Century,
symmetry of construction was predominant, and for the most part
composition was frieze-like, straightforward and monotonous.

Nevertheless, the Shiraz school was to have great influence throughout
Iran, and by the end of the 15th Century it was producing miniatures of
highest quality. The illustrations for “Khamseh” (1491) by Nezami serve
as an example of Shiraz art at its peak. All is complete, and clear,
both in composition and the distribution of detail, and in the outline
of the silhouettes. The lines are firm and confident.

At the close of the 13th Century, the Tabriz school of art had been
established. The early artistic development of the Tabriz school
differed from that of Shiraz, as their illustrations tended to combine
Far Eastern traits with the Armeno-Byzantine style of painting. This
latter influence can be explained by the geographical situation of
Tabriz, which is on the frontier of the Armenian region.

Closer relations sprung up between different artistic styles of Shiraz
and Tabriz art schools at the beginning of the 15th Century. This time
is connected with a great migration of painters which begun after Timur
had conquered Baghdad (in 1393, 1401) and Tabriz (1402). Many of them
were brought to Samarkand, the capital of the conqueror, as well as to
the court of his grandson, Iskandar Sultan, the ruler of Shiraz. In the
new studios they adapted to the already existing ideas and tastes, but
at the same time they introduced much of the traditions they had
followed long before the migration.

In the 16th Century, on the vast territories of Iran and central Asia,
poetry by Jami was extremely popular, and it enriched the art of
painting with new themes. This was the start of great development
throughout the various schools of art in Iran. In the Tabriz miniatures
of the period, there appeared a magnificent ability to create within a
limited space, a full illusion of a particular scene or landscape; for
example, a picture of a palace building, including part of its yard,
inner garden and the palace interior.

Architecture and landscape from now on were included as fully as
possible. The figures within the composition were no longer constrained
and static, and were painted in a more lively and natural way.

In the first half of the 15th Century an art school was established in
Herat. The very best of the artists in the Tabriz and Shiraz schools
moved here. In the early Herat miniatures figure painting became much
more skilful and drawing gained greater accuracy. As the skill of the
painters increased, the figures were placed more confidently and the
rythmic structure of the composition became more complicated. The Herat
artists were exceptional at portraying people, making the surrounding a
mere accompaniment.

One of the best known and most influential painters from the Herat
school was Kamal-od-Din Behzad, whose creative art was greatly
influenced by the works of the poets Jami and Navai. In his own works
there appeared a unique attention to portraying not just people but
what surrounded them in their daily lives. Behzad’s paintings brought
miniature to its genuine bloom. He shared the fame of Herat painting
with other outstanding miniature painters of the time: his teacher and
the head of the court studio, Mirak Nakkash, Kasim ‘Ali, Khwadja
Muhammad Nakkash, and Shah Muzaffar.

The theme of miniatures became more limited as time went by. In the
17th Century there were mainly love scenes, portraits and some even
copied European pictures. In the 18th Century there appeared a new
genre of flowers and birds.