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The word “miniature” is defined in
the Concise Dictionary as something decorated or embellished. Miniature
painting, in this context, refers to the meticulous illustration that adorns a
page or pages of a book or manuscript.
The art of miniature painting is one
of the most important branches of Islamic art within the Islamic heritage. This
art is defined as the decoration of products of Islamic civilization, such as
works of art. It is also known as the “art of manuscript illumination.
Illustration refers to highlighting scenes in direct relation to the text.
This art emerged and spread with the
spread of paper in the Islamic world. Following the spread of paper, the
profession of bookmaking arose, which involved copying, correcting, and then
publishing books. Muslims were greatly interested in the art of bookmaking, and
a group of craftsmen worked in its production, such as copyists, illuminators,
bookbinders, and illustrators. However, the illustrator held the lowest
position among the craftsmen for religious reasons. Therefore, the illustrator
worked as an assistant to the calligrapher, clarifying the texts through
illustrations within the limited space allotted to him on the manuscript pages.
The book "Kalila wa Dimna"
is considered the first example among Islamic books of the emergence of Islamic
miniature art. Among the most prominent books that incorporated miniatures
after "Kalila wa Dimna" are "Kitab al-Aghani" by Abu
al-Faraj al-Isfahani and "Maqamat al-Hariri." Scientific books such
as "Kitab Khawas al-Aqqar" and "Kitab al-Baytara" also
featured miniatures, along with many others that focused on presenting details
through illustrations.
The Muslim artist Kamal al-Din Behzad was one of the most famous miniature artists in Islamic history. Iran, Iraq, and Syria were among the most active Islamic countries in presenting and promoting miniature art, due to their prior heritage in painting and sculpture and their moderate religious stance on figurative art. It is worth noting that the art of miniatures has been lost in all countries of the Islamic world except for Iran and Iraq, which have preserved this art form. Iran has even introduced a third dimension to this art form.
The art of miniatures was often associated with historical epics, news, and lengthy traditional stories circulating in the cultures of various peoples. The Ottoman sultans paid great attention to this art and spent vast sums of money to support artists, painters, and calligraphers. For example, the Ottoman Sultan Murad III transformed the biography of the Prophet Muhammad by the Turkish writer Mustafa ibn Yusuf into an illustrated historical epic. This epic included a very large number of drawings, miniatures, and artistic illustrations depicting events from the Prophet's life, totaling 814 miniatures and artistic drawings distributed across six massive volumes. Some of the miniatures
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