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Persian Illuminated Miniature with Three Hunters on Horseback in a Landscape

Late 19th c.

About the Item

The present illuminated folio page contains a fine miniature depicting three figures hunting while on horseback, an image meant to accompany a historic epic. During the medieval period, hunting was an important pastime of male nobility throughout the Islamic world. The Quran itself explicitly endorses hunting and the use of animals to aid in capturing prey: "Lawful to you are foodstuffs that are good to eat and any game that, at your wish, is captured by beasts of prey which train as you do dogs, according to the method that Allah has taught you, after you have spoken the name of Allah over it." (Q 6:4) Muslim princes and nobles enjoyed the chase of the prey via horseback, using bow and arrow, crossbows, and blowpipes to capture their prey Horseback riding itself trained young men in the necessary skills for armed combat and warfare, developing their speed and strength. 12 x 8.25 inches, artwork 19.75 x 15.88 inches, frame accompanied on the back with an image of the verso framed to conservation standards with a 100% rag silk-lined mat in a gold gilded frame A Persian miniature is a small Persian painting on paper, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works called a muraqqa. The techniques are broadly comparable to the Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. Although there is an equally well-established Persian tradition of wall-painting, the survival rate and state of preservation of miniatures is better, and miniatures are much the best-known form of Persian painting in the West, and many of the most important examples are in Western, or Turkish, museums. Miniature painting became a significant genre in Persian art in the 13th century, receiving Chinese influence after the Mongol conquests, and the highest point in the tradition was reached in the 15th and 16th centuries. The tradition continued, under some Western influence, after this, and has many modern exponents. The Persian miniature was the dominant influence on other Islamic miniature traditions, principally the Ottoman miniature in Turkey, and the Mughal miniature in the Indian sub-continent. Persian art under Islam had never completely forbidden the human figure, and in the miniature tradition the depiction of figures, often in large numbers, is central. This was partly because the miniature is a private form, kept in a book or album and only shown to those the owner chooses. It was therefore possible to be more free than in wall paintings or other works seen by a wider audience. The Qur'an and other purely religious works are not known to have been illustrated in this way, though histories and other works of literature may include religiously related scenes, including those depicting the Prophet Muhammed, after 1500 usually without showing his face. As well as the figurative scenes in miniatures, which this article concentrates on, there was a parallel style of non-figurative ornamental decoration which was found in borders and panels in miniature pages, and spaces at the start or end of a work or section, and often in whole pages acting as frontispieces. In Islamic art this is referred to as "illumination", and manuscripts of the Qur'an and other religious books often included considerable number of illuminated pages. The designs reflected contemporary work in other media, in later periods being especially close to book-covers and Persian carpets, and it is thought that many carpet designs were created by court artists and sent to the workshops in the provinces. In later periods miniatures were increasingly created as single works to be included in albums called muraqqa, rather than illustrated books. This allowed non-royal collectors to afford a representative sample of works from different styles and periods. [Wikipedia]
  • Creation Year:
    Late 19th c.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 19.75 in (50.17 cm)Width: 15.88 in (40.34 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Some water damage along the bottom. See images.
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 2004d1stDibs: LU60535979532
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