Persian miniature painting and its influence on the art of Turkey and India

The illustrated Persian manuscripts in the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books in the British Library, the subject of this book, form one of the finest collections in the world. Besides representing nearly every major and provincial school in Persian painting, the justly famous collection contains manuscripts which demonstrate the influence that Persian artists had on the illustrative art of Ottoman Turkey and of Sultanate and Mughal India. As well as manuscripts, the artists themselves were imported by Muslim patrons into both India and Turkey, to teach and to work with indigenous artists. The latter, who were to develop their own distinctive styles over the years, owed much of their traditions of painting to the Persian artists. This book seeks both to trace the development of Persian painting from the 14th to the 19th century, and to outline the influence of Persian artists elsewhere. The color plates are all reproductions from manuscripts in the British Library, as are many of the black-and-white illustrations. The other illustrations are of paintings from several different collections, mainly of miniatures in styles not represented in the British Library. Several are of less well-known examples, and will be of particular value to those familiar with the subject. The word Persian, so long used in the context of the miniature painting of Iran, has been retained in order not to cause confusion with pre-Islamic Iranian art. -- Inside jacket flap.