Ottoman miniature

Ottoman miniature painters
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Ottoman miniature (Turkish: Osmanlı minyatürü) is a style of illustration found in Ottoman manuscripts, often depicting portraits or historic events. Its unique style was developed from multiple cultural influences, such as the Persian Miniature art, as well as Byzantine and Mongol art.[1][2] It was a part of the Ottoman book arts, together with illumination (tezhip), calligraphy (hat), marbling paper (ebru), and bookbinding (cilt). The words taswir or nakish were used to define the art of miniature painting in Ottoman Turkish.

While Ottoman miniatures have been very much inspired by Persian miniatures, Ottoman artisans developed a unique style that separated themselves from their Persian influences.[3] Ottoman miniatures are known specifically for their factual accounts of things such as military events, whereas Persian miniatures were more focused on being visually interesting.[4][1] The inclusion of miniatures in Ottoman manuscripts was more for the purpose of documentation, and less about aesthetics.[3] Miniatures were used to demonstrate many important chronicles and themes, especially historical and religious events.[3] Ottoman miniatures are particularly known for their specific and accurate details.[5] This can be found in many miniatures of armies or court scenes.[3]

Some Ottoman artists were more influenced by Persian miniatures than others.[3] Ottoman miniatures with strong influences from the Persian style tended towards a more romanticized account of events, which strayed away from the more typical factual accounts of other Ottoman miniature paintings.[3]

  1. ^ a b Mesinch, Maryam (December 2017). "A Comparative Analysis of Factors Influencing the Evolution of Miniature in Safavid and Ottoman Periods". International Journal of Cultural and Social Studies (3).
  2. ^ Hoffman, Eva R. (1993). "The Author Portrait in Thirteenth-Century Arabic Manuscripts: A New Islamic Context for a Late-Antique Tradition". Muqarnas. 10: 6–20. doi:10.2307/1523167. ISSN 0732-2992. JSTOR 1523167.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Titley, Norah M. (1983). "Early Ottoman Miniature Painting: Two Recently Acquired Manuscripts in the British Library". The British Library Journal. 9 (2): 124–139. ISSN 0305-5167. JSTOR 42554184.
  4. ^ Grabar, Oleg (1962). "Review of Turkish Miniature Painting". Middle East Journal. 16 (2): 260–261. ISSN 0026-3141. JSTOR 4323485.
  5. ^ Sakisian, A. (1945). "Turkish Miniatures". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 87 (510): 224–232. ISSN 0951-0788. JSTOR 869090.