Miniature

How it is used

Ottoman miniature painting flourished from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, with masters such as Matrakçı Nasuh, Nakkaş Osman and Levni. Writers mention its flat space, rich colours and use of gold. In English, both miniature painting and manuscript painting are used.

Example sentences

1. The Topkapı Palace library holds some of the finest Ottoman miniatures.

2. Miniature painters often worked in teams, with one artist drawing and another adding colour.

Common collocations

• Ottoman miniature
• Persian miniature
• miniature painting
• portrait miniature
• illustrated manuscript

Related terms

• patronA person or organisation that supports artists, usually by paying for works or giving regular financial help; historically, often a ruler, a church or a wealthy family.
• pigmentA coloured powder, made from minerals, plants, insects or chemicals, that gives paint its colour when it is mixed with a binder such as oil, egg or gum.
• motifA shape, image or theme that is repeated in one work or across many works, such as a flower in a textile pattern or a symbol that keeps returning in an artist's paintings.
• temperaPaint made by mixing pigments with egg yolk and water; it dries quickly to a matt, durable surface and was the main technique for panel painting in Europe before oil paint.

More terms: Painting & Drawing

• painting
• portrait
• landscape
• still life
• drawing
• sketch
• brushstroke
• self-portrait
• fresco
• life drawing
• triptych