Miniature Paintings
The term “miniature” is derived from the Latin word “minium,” which refers to red lead paint. This paint was commonly used in illuminated manuscripts during the Renaissance period. It is often confused with the word “minimum,” which implies smallness; however, miniatures are known for being small, yet intricate and detailed paintings.
Miniature paintings are characterized by their complexity, vibrant colours, and delicate brushwork. The history of Indian miniature paintings dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries, as these artworks were created to convey reality.
There are several distinct schools of Indian miniatures, including Pala, Odisha, Jain, Mughal, and Rajasthani styles.
Techniques of Miniature Paintings
Miniature paintings are created using the traditional tempera technique. Several criteria must be met when producing these artworks:
1. The painting should not exceed 25 square inches in size.
2. The subject matter of the painting should be depicted at no more than one-sixth of its actual size.
In these paintings, human figures are typically shown with very few visible front faces; most are depicted inside profiles. Key characteristics of these figures include large eyes, pointed noses, and slim waists. Human skin tones are represented as either brown or fair, while the skin tone of Lord Krishna is blue.
The hair and eye colours of the characters are usually black. Women are often portrayed with long hair, while both men and women wear traditional Indian attire, including slippers and shoes. Men are commonly shown wearing turbans.
Primarily natural colours are utilized in these paintings, with black, red, white, brown, blue, and yellow used to enhance the overall decoration.
court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Miniature Art during the Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate saw the emergence of an Indo-Persian style of painting that was significantly influenced by schools in Iran and Jain paintings. Most of the artwork from this period dates between approximately 1450 and 1550, with major centres of production primarily located in Mandu in central India and Jaunpur in eastern India. Some artwork was also created in the Delhi region and Gujarat in western India.
Distinctive features of Delhi Sultanate paintings, rooted in Indian traditions, include groups of figures arranged in rows with identical poses, narrow decorative bands running across the width of the paintings, and the use of bright and unusual colors.
A noteworthy manuscript called the Nimat Nama, colours in Mandu, is a book of recipes from the reign of Nasir Shah, who ruled over Mandu. This manuscript illustrates the sultan surrounded by attendants preparing various foods, medicines, and aphrodisiacs. While the Indian painters were greatly influenced by Shirazi models, their artwork incorporated elements such as thick green foliage, pastel backgrounds, and regional Persian figurative styles.
Additionally, another style known as Lodi Khuladar was prevalent during this period and was practised in many Sultanate-dominated regions between Delhi and Jaunpur. Subsequently, three major styles emerged that shaped the medieval artistic landscape: Mughal, Rajput, and Deccan. These styles, while drawing from Sultanate precedents, developed their own distinct characteristics. The paintings of the Delhi Sultanate represent a period of innovation that laid the groundwork for the evolution of the Mughal and Rajput schools of art, which flourished from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The Turko-Afghan Sultanate Of Delhi (1206-1526)
Painting During the Sultanate Period: The Indo-Islamic era brought significant changes in the practice, scale, format, organization, and genres of painting in India. Monumental sculpture as an art form declined, while wall painting was overshadowed, although it was not entirely replaced by small-scale paintings illustrating texts.
Illuminated Manuscripts: Around the tenth century, a new phenomenon emerged: the illustrated book. This development spread globally from Chartres to Isfahan and Beijing. Paintings became a portable commodity, and private collections were formed; illustrated books came to symbolize wealth and prestige. Considerable resources were devoted to materials and craftsmanship. Opulently produced manuscripts, which were bought and sold, presented as ceremonial gifts, or acquired as war booty, became precious objects that only individuals of royal or noble lineage could afford. Unlike the communal art of temples, calligraphers and painters were employed by scriptoria belonging to patrons of substantial means, whose tastes took precedence. In particular, Muslim calligraphers tasked with transcribing the word of Allah held a high status in a society that valued the art of the book.
Although writing had been known in India since the time of Ashoka, it had been confined to secular subjects or used for stone and metal inscriptions that served as public documents. Sacred texts, such as the Vedas, were orally transmitted due to the emphasis on enunciating each word perfectly. The earliest illustrated texts in India date back to the tenth-century Tantric Buddhist treatises that emerged from monasteries in Nalanda, Bihar, and Paharpur, Bengal. However, within less than two centuries, a vibrant painting tradition developed on the west coast under the patronage of Jain merchants, who established great libraries and commissioned artists to illustrate two major texts, the Kalpasutra and the Kalakacarya Katha.
The Sultanate’s art of the book introduced paper and brought about significant changes in Indian painting. The long-held belief that Delhi sultans adhered strictly to the Sacred Tradition (Hadith) and forbade the portrayal of living forms has been thoroughly disproven. The Sultans acquired Arabic, Turkish, and Persian texts for their libraries and commissioned new works. In search of employment, scholars and scribes from Baghdad, Bukhara, Samarqand, and other Islamic centres of learning migrated to Delhi, which became renowned as an international hub for manuscript trade. Although specific paintings from the Delhi Sultanate have not been definitively identified, contemporary accounts suggest that the sultans maintained picture galleries for leisure. Notably, the devout Firuz Tughlaq opted to replace human figures with floral paintings in his own chambers, while other Tughlaq sultans even embraced Hindu themes.
The only surviving Sultanate paintings are from the provinces. They illustrate the fusion of Persian/Near Eastern and Indian painting conventions. The most notable among them are the illustrations from the Ni’mat Nama (Book of Delicacies), created for Ghiyas ud-Din Khalji, Sultan of Malwa (1469-1500), who, disillusioned with warfare, retreated from the burdens of the state. A sixteenth-century historian describes this grand eccentric, highlighting his Epicurean approach to food and pleasure. As an absolute ruler, he indulged his fantasies to an unprecedented extent, collecting 16,000 slave girls, some of whom he dressed in male attire and trained in various professions so that only women could serve him. The style of the Ni’mat Nama illustrators initially appears to be a provincial variant of Persian painting. However, a closer examination of the treatment of faces and costumes reveals Indian authorship. The contributions of two Indian artists trained by a Persian master have been identified. The more accomplished of the two reinterpret Persian elements skillfully and creatively, while the less skilled one tends to imitate Persian models more closely. These works are important as they demonstrate the process by which artistic styles are transferred and assimilated by artists. Here, the conventions of the Indian artist serve as essential frameworks, modified in light of the new style.
Artist Under Delhi Sultanate
The two Indian artists recognized as the illustrators of the Ni’mat Nama seem to have belonged to a painting tradition that flourished in north and northwest India during the Sultanate period, particularly between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, about which we only have sporadic information. Among these artists, those from Gujarat are well known among scholars as “Jain painters” due to the significant number of Jain subjects they depicted. The introduction of papers from Iran and Syria allowed these artists to explore new formats and dimensions, which had not been possible with narrow palm-leaf manuscripts. Jain merchants and bankers were especially eager to commission illustrated manuscripts celebrating Jain saints, resulting in many works produced using inexpensive materials.
Motifs Used During Delhi Sultanate
1. Geometric Patterns: Drawing inspiration from Islamic art, intricate geometric designs dominate backgrounds, frames, and borders, showcasing remarkable craftsmanship.
2. Floral and Vegetal Motifs: Stylized representations of flowers, vines, and trees are prominently featured, often arranged in elegant symmetrical patterns.
3. Calligraphy: Arabic and Persian inscriptions, including verses from the Quran and renowned poetry, play a vital role as decorative elements, adding depth and meaning.
4. Hunting and Court Scenes: Miniatures vividly depict sultans in action, whether hunting or engaging in courtly pursuits, brilliantly illustrating early narrative traditions.
5. Animals and Birds: Inspired by Persian artistry, animals such as lions, deer, and various birds are portrayed with intricate detail, often imbued with symbolic significance.
6. Architectural Motifs: Miniatures frequently incorporate grand elements like arches, domes, and pillars, reflecting the impressive beauty of Indo-Islamic architecture.
7. Angels and Celestial Beings: Drawing from rich Persian traditions, winged figures appear in both religious and royal imagery, enhancing the spiritual and regal essence.
8. Human Figures in Profile: While figural representation is restricted in religious contexts, courtly miniatures confidently display sultans and nobles in Persian-style attire, elegantly depicted in profile.
Conclusion
The early rulers of the Delhi Sultanate are often regarded as iconoclastic pillagers, primarily known for their widespread destruction of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples. They implemented prohibitions against anthropomorphic representations in art, which had previously been common. Scholars once believed that the Delhi Sultanate did not support painting due to this Islamic injunction against depicting living beings. However, recent literary evidence and the discovery of illustrated manuscripts from that period suggest otherwise. In fact, royal painting workshops seem to have thrived under more liberal rulers.
References
- Lotusarise.com
- prep.in
- google art and culture
- center for cultural resources and training.