It is difficult to trace the origin of Persian miniature, as it reached its peak mainly during the Mongol and Timurid rule (13th-16th century).
Mongolian rulers of Iran encouraged 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.
According to Iranchamber website, the most important function of miniature was illustration. It gave a visual image to a 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 miniaturists of their day. At the end of the 10th century, Ferdowsi created his immortal epic poem ’Shahnameh’ (The Book of Kings), which at some 50,000 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 and popular ’Khamseh’ (five stories in verse), which was imitated several times by Indian poets writing in Persian.
The 13th century saw the creation of great works by Sa’di, the eminent author of the famous ’Boustan’ and ’Golestan’. The former is a didactic poem, lyrical in tone and anecdotal in composition. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Persian literature. The latter is a collection of moralizing and entertaining anecdotes and proverbs written in elegant rhymed prose and, at intervals, with fitting lines of verse.
In the 14th century, there were enlightening and romantic works by Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, Khajou Kermani, Hafez and Kamal Khojandi. But the 15th century saw the rise of the eminent poet Jami, who wrote the seven epic poems called “Haft Owrang“(The Seven Thrones or Ursa Major). His poetry embraced the different styles of preceding literature.
This great wealth of literature inspired the emergence of many important miniature schools, each with its own unique style. These schools helped miniature painting achieve its splendid status both in Iran and Central Asia. Three of the most influential schools were in Shiraz, Tabriz and Herat.
Development
In the 13th-14th centuries, Shiraz witnessed a new impetus in the development of its cultural life. This was the time of Sa’di, Khajou Kermani and Hafez. Poetry flourished and so did miniature.
One of the most important works for illustrators of the period was ’Shahnameh, and many painters in Shiraz were dedicated to it. In these miniatures, symmetry of construction was predominant and composition was largely frieze-like, straightforward and monotonous.
Nevertheless, the Shiraz school was to have great influence throughout Iran. By the end of 15th century, it was producing miniatures of the highest quality.
The illustrations for ’Khamseh’ (1491) serve as an example of the Shiraz art at its peak. It is complete and clear, both in composition and detailed work, and in the outline of silhouettes. The lines are firm and confident.
At the close of the 13th century, the Tabriz school of art was established. Its artistic development 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 borders the Armenian region.
Closer relations were formed between the artistic styles of Shiraz and Tabriz at the beginning of 15th century. This is connected with the migration of painters, which begun after Timur conquered Baghdad (in 1393) and Tabriz (1402). Many of them were brought to Samarkand, the capital of the conqueror, as well as to the court of his grandson, Eskandar Sultan, the ruler of Shiraz.
They adapted to the existing ideas and tastes, but at the same time 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, Jami’s poetry was extremely popular and enriched the art of painting with new themes. This was the start of the 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 included part of its yard, inner garden and the palace’s interior.
Architecture and landscape were now included as fully as possible. The figures within the composition were no longer static and were painted in a more lively 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 there. In the early Herat miniatures, figure painting became much more skilful and detailed.
As the skill of the painters increased, the figures were placed more confidently and the rhythmic structure of the composition became more sophisticated. The Herat artists were exceptional at portraying people, making the surrounding a mere accompaniment.
First Iranian Miniaturists
One of the best known and most influential painters from the Herat school was Kamaleddin Behzad, whose creative art was greatly influenced by the works of the poets Jami and Navai. In his 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 head of the court studio, Mirak Nakkash, as well as Kasim Ali, Khwaja 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. This later developed to a great Iranian art over time.
