The word miniature,
derived from the Latin
minium, red
lead, is a picture in an ancient
or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple
decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment. The
generally small scale of the medieval pictures has led secondly to an etymological
confusion of the term with minuteness and to its application to small paintings
especially portrait miniatures, which did however grow from
the same tradition and at least initially use similar techniques.
Persian miniature
A Persian
miniature is a small 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 Persian genre 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.
Ottoman miniature
Ottoman
Miniature or Turkish
miniature was an art form in the Ottoman
Empire, which can be linked to the Persian
miniature tradition,[1]
as well as strong Chinese artistic influences. 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 this art in Ottoman language. The studios
the artists worked in were called Nakkashane. The miniatures were not signed.
This is partly because of the world view of the tradition that rejected
individualism. Another reason is that the works were not created entirely by
one person: The head painter designed the composition of the scene and his
apprentices drew the contours (which is called tahrir) with black or colored
ink and then painted the miniature without creating an illusion of third dimension.
The head painter, and much more often the scribe of the text were named and
depicted in some of the manuscripts. The understanding of perspective is
different from that of European Renaissance Painting tradition and the scene
depicted may include different time periods and spaces. The miniatures followed
closely the context of the book, resembling illustrations of the picture books
today. The colors were obtained by ground powder pigments mixed with egg-white
and later with diluted gum arabic. The colors were brilliant. Contrasting
colors were used side by side with warm colors that reminds us of the 20th
century avant-garde painters' approach in color selection. The color nuances of
the same shade were applied in a masterly fashion.
Portrait miniature
Portrait miniatures began to flourish in 16th century Europe and the art was practiced during the 17th century and 18th century. They were especially valuable in introducing people to each other over distances; a nobleman proposing the marriage of his daughter might send a courier with her portrait to visit potential suitors. Soldiers and sailors might carry miniatures of their loved ones while traveling, or a wife might keep one of her husband while he was away.
The first miniaturists used watercolour to paint on stretched vellum. During the second half of the 17th century, vitreous enamel painted on copper became increasingly popular. In the 18th century, miniatures were painted with watercolour on ivory. As small in size as 40 mm × 30 mm, portrait miniatures were often used as personal mementos or as jewellry or snuff box covers.
Miniature figure (gaming)
A miniature
figure (also known as a miniature, mini, figure, or fig)
is a small-scale representation of a historical or mythological entity used in miniature wargames, role-playing games, and dioramas.
Miniature figures are commonly made of metal, plastic, or paper. They are used
to augment the visual aspects of a game and track position, facing, and line of sight of characters. Miniatures are
typically painted and can be artfully sculpted, making them collectible in their
own right. Pre-painted plastic figures, such as Clix miniatures produced
by WizKids,
have also become popular. The hobby of painting, collecting, and playing with
miniatures originated with toy soldiers, though the latter were generally sold
pre-painted.
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