The history of Iranian miniature goes back to the distant past before the rise of Islam, but it can be said that when the Iranians were able to enter the Abbasid court in the third century AH, Iranian painting resumed after a period of stagnation.
Iranian miniature is in fact the painting of Iran before the advent of Islam, which was integrated with Islamic mysticism and thought and became a way for the emergence of divine manifestations. Exquisite miniature works were created during the Abbasid period, but unfortunately a large part of these works were destroyed during the Mongol invasions in the seventh and eighth centuries.
During the Ilkhanid period, when the situation in the country became relatively calm, steps were taken towards the development of art, including the establishment of Rashidi Quarter in the capital city of Tabriz, when it became a suitable place for the talents of artists, calligraphers and scientists.
There were workshops for creating manuscripts and illustrating them in Rashidi Quarter. The Tabriz school reached its peak of prosperity during this period and selected works such as Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and Demut’s Shahnameh were created during this period. Over time, Iranian miniatures underwent many changes and various schools were formed with their own characteristics, including:
Shiraz School, Herat School, Tabriz School, Qazvin School and Isfahan School
Shiraz school miniature is an Iranian school of painting. The Mongols conquered all of Iran except Shiraz, which surrendered. This issue led to the formation of a local Shirazi government in Shiraz during the Mongol rule, and this led to the emergence of the Shiraz school of painting, which is much closer to the Iranian motifs and the ancient style of Iranian painting than the Tabriz school. In the paintings of Shiraz school, the main subject is “human” and other elements are used as a function of that role and only as decorating and filling the empty spaces of the image. Also, other elements such as the use of tables and a kind of harmonious coloring mixed with elegance and the use of purple, azure blue and light blue can be seen in most of the works of this school.
Features of Shiraz school: The least impact of Chinese art among painting schools, return to pre-Islamic Iranian art, limited color options and the use of a range of warm colors, especially red
Tabriz School miniature: It is an Iranian school of painting that was founded in Tabriz and for this reason it has been called the Tabriz School. This school coincides with the rule of the Mongol ilkhans in Iran, who based their capital in Tabriz. This school is considered the beginning of the entry of Chinese elements into the field of Iranian painting. In this period, the influence of Chinese painting on Iranian painters is clear. The first Tabriz school in the Ilkhanate period is mostly introduced as a style. The main features of this school of figures are the way of depicting nature, including the intricate and knotty trunks of trees and sharp cliffs, and the wrinkling of clothes influenced by the Byzantine tradition. Instead of the calm and stillness of traditional Iranian painting, they are seen in this school.
Isfahan school, artists gained more freedom of action than in previous periods. In the Qazvin period, due to special circumstances that ruled over artists, painting emerged from manuscripts, and in the Isfahan period, this style became more popular and design The single-page form with the theme of people’s traditional life grew more and more, and in this period, the style of drawing in the style of engraving became especially important. In the Isfahan school, due to the special attention of artists to single face paintings, painting in the old way, in which a large number of human figures were depicted, declined, although at the beginning of this period works were created in the style of Shah Tahmaseb However, it is insignificant that one of the reasons for the change can be considered the connection and movement of Isfahan with European countries.
Characteristics this school: more beautiful and glorious gardens and flowers and having luxurious clothes for people in paintings, as well as very precise design and execution of clothes, reducing the number of people depicted in a painting and increasing the number of faces and the number of colors used Gone are limited in painting. Murals increased.
Qazvin School: About how the school of painting came into being in Qazvin and how this art found its way to the city of Qazvin, we must go back to the reign of Shah Ismail. Shah Ismail chose Tabriz as his capital in 906 AH after defeating the Aghquyunlus. The royal library of the Aghkuyunlus was given to him, and artists working in the library of the Aghkuyunlus served him.
In this school, in addition to the images of animals, birds, flowers and trees, what attracted the most attention were the delicate limbs of young people, dervishes and farmers. In their paintings, faces are often depicted in three faces and full faces. Qazvin style painters are not seen at all in the work and no human being is depicted from behind. The subjects are chosen more than ordinary people and luxurious clothes are not seen in the paintings and the clothes of men and women are not much different.
Herat School is one of the Iranian painting styles that was founded in Herat during the Timurid period and during the reign of Shahrokh.
Characteristics of the Herati school: There are elements from the Far East. Particular importance is attached to the interaction of images that are animated with meaningful allusions. Dry and formal figures. Use of very bright colors, use of complementary colors, use less of the red family colors and use of a range of brown colors, blue and purple and soft pink colors, the effect of white and black colors, clever depiction Decorate carpets and architectural components and the sky.
