Miniature Paintings

The colorful illuminations, which captured the fancy of the royalty and aristocracy, emerged in the medieval period. The illustrated manuscripts of Jains and Buddhists, and the flowering of the Mughal, Rajput, and Deccan Miniatures are noted for their meticulous execution and artistic skills. The fine stroke of brushes conveyed the themes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvata Purana, Rasikpriya, Rasamanjiri, etc.These masterpieces of yore have a universal appeal which still touch the right chord of the audience.

The irony of history never ceases to amaze. The mighty Himalayas nurtured in its western valleys, a School of Paintings known as the “Miniature”. This intricate school of art was characterized by delicate brushwork and existed in the forms of ‘illuminations' (Drawings included in a book, especially in medieval manuscripts) or normal paintings. Miniature Painters used varied substances for coloring their drawings, namely- minerals, vegetables, precious stones, indigo, conch shells, pure gold and silver.

Rajput Paintings in Rajasthan | Kishangarh Court Painters | Bani Thani | Pahari Paintings | Mughal Paintings |

The themes of these paintings included the Ragas or musical codes of Indian Classical music. There were three primary schools of Indian Miniature Paintings - the Rajput, the Mughal and the Deccan schools.

The Genesis of Miniature Paintings

The culture and history of the western Himalayas gave birth, to an Art form in the17th Century, which we now know as the Miniature Paintings. Though known specimens of this art form can be traced only to the latter part of the 18 th Century, one has every reason to believe that this art form existed way before the datable specimens.