Көне қолжазбалардың суреттері: Миниатюра өнерінің тарихы

Picture in an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript

A miniature (from the Latin verb miniare, "to colour with minium", a red lead) is a small illustration used to decorate an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple illustrations of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment. The generally small scale of such medieval pictures has led to etymological confusion with minuteness and to its application to small paintings, especially portrait miniatures, which did however grow from the same tradition and at least initially used similar techniques. Apart from the Western, Byzantine and Armenian traditions, there is another group of Asian traditions, which is generally more illustrative in nature, and from origins in manuscript book decoration also developed into single sheet small paintings to be kept in albums, which are also called miniatures, as the Western equivalents in watercolor and other media are not. These include Arabic miniatures, and their Persian, Mughal, Ottoman and other Indian offshoots.

In the native schools of illumination of Western Europe, decoration only was the leading motive. In the manuscripts of the Merovingian period, in the school which connected Frankland and northern Italy, and which is known as Lombardic or Franco Lombardic, in the manuscripts of Spain, in the productions of the Insular art of the British Isles, figure drawing was scarcely known, serving rather as a feature of decoration than as a representation of the human form. Despite the considerable changes in Arabic miniature style and technique, even during their last decades, the early Umayyad Arab influence could still be noticed. Arabic miniature artists include Ismail al Jazari, who illustrated his own Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, and the Abbasid artist, Yahya Al Wasiti, who probably lived in Baghdad in the late Abbasid era (12th to 13th centuries), was one of the pre eminent exponents of the Baghdad school. In 1236 1237, he is known to have transcribed and illustrated the book, Maqamat (also known as the Assemblies or the Sessions), a series of anecdotes of social satire written by Al Hariri of Basra. The narrative concerns the travels of a middle aged man as he uses his charm and eloquence to swindle his way across the Arabic world. With most surviving Arabic manuscripts in western museums, Arabic miniatures occupy very little space in modern Arab culture.

Persian art has a long tradition of the use of miniatures, both for illustrated books and individual pieces, which were collected in albums (muraqqa). The Mughal miniature tradition was heavily influenced by Persia, and began when a group of artists was recruited for India, miniatures having fallen into disfavour in the Persian court of Tahmasp I. Reza Abbasi (1565–1635), considered one of the most renowned Persian painters of all time, specialized in the Persian miniature, with a preference for naturalistic subjects. Today his surviving works can be found in many of the major museums of the Western world, such as the Smithsonian, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2020, UNESCO declared the miniature art of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Uzbekistan as one of the masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Under the patronage of Pala Dynasty miniature painting was introduced in India by painting on Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts. One of the earliest surviving examples of Buddhist illustrated palm leaf manuscripts is Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā dated to 985 AD preserved in the University of Cambridge library. The art of Pala illuminated manuscripts developed in Buddhist centers of Bihar and Bengal. The Pala miniature paintings not only inspired Nepalese and Tibetan miniature paintings but also inspired Hinduism and Jainism to develop their own miniature painting traditions in later periods. Mughal painting developed during the period of the Mughal Empire (16th 18th centuries) and was generally confined to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in albums. It emerged from the Persian miniature painting tradition introduced to India by Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al Samad in the mid 16th century. It soon moved away from its Safavid origins; with the influence of Hindu artists, colors became brighter and compositions more naturalistic. The subject matter was predominantly secular, mainly consisting of illustrations to works of literature or history, portraits of court members and studies of nature. At its height the Mughal painting style represented an elegant marriage of Persian, European, and Hindi art. In the Muslim Deccan sultanates miniature painting styles emerged with influence direct from Persia, and with some from existing Hindu painting. The Deccan painting style was freer and more extravagant than Mughal painting, if not as consistent in quality or naturalism. As the Mughals conquered the sultanates over the 17th century, the artists dispersed. A version of the Mughal style spread to princely courts, mostly Hindu, in North India, especially in Rajput painting, where several different styles developed. Pahari painting covers a number of small courts in the foothills of the Himalayas, and the Bikaner style came from further south. By the 18th century the Rajput courts were producing the most innovative Indian painting.

The tradition of the Ottoman Empire began under Persian influence, and Persian miniatures were keenly collected by the Sultans. A distinctive Ottoman style soon developed, with a greater interest in narrative, and recording the history of the empire. Ottoman illumination was also extensively used on court manuscripts.

Armenian miniature is notable for its variety of styles and schools. When Mesrop Mashtots created Armenian letters in 405, and Armenian handwritten books began to be written, together with education, Armenian illuminated miniature developed. Most of the 25,000 Armenian manuscripts handed down to us from different centuries are decorated with miniatures. Armenian illuminated manuscripts embody Armenian culture; they illustrate its spiritual and cultural values. The most famous Armenian miniaturist is Toros Roslin, who lived in 13th century. The art form flourished in Greater Armenia, Lesser Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. Very few fragments of illuminated manuscripts from the 6th and 7th centuries have survived. The oldest fully preserved manuscript dates from the 9th century.

Miniatures are forged for various reasons. Forged Islamic miniatures depicting scientific advancements are made by Turkish artisans as souvenirs, and can often be found innocuously as stock photos on the Internet or within formal learning materials. Medieval European miniatures also have been forged to deceive collectors by various persons, one of the most notable forgers being the Spanish Forger.

Canby, Sheila R., Persian Painting, 1993, British Museum Press,
Titley, Norah M., Persian Miniature Painting, and its Influence on the Art of Turkey and India, 1983, University of Texas Press,
Welch, Stuart Cary. Royal Persian Manuscripts, Thames & Hudson, 1976,

Sandra Hindman, Michael Camille, Nina Rowe & Rowan Watson, Manuscript Illumination in the Modern Age : Recovery and Reconstruction, Evanston : Northwestern University, 2001. Thomas Coomans & Jan De Maeyer (ed. ), The Revival of Mediaeval Illuminating in the Nineteenth Century (KADOC Artes, 9), University Press Leuven, 2007, 336 p.