Painters, Paintings and Books: An Essay on Indo-Persian Technical Literature, 12-19th Centuries

The work aims at bringing the Persian texts into the study of the arts and technology of the Indo-Iranian world – an approach much neglected so far. Drawing upon Persian sources (both from Iran and India) viz. technical treatises, historical chronicles and poetical texts, the work deals with painting and the art of book making during 12th to 19th century.The introduction presents the geographical and chronological dimensions of the study. After a brief history of Persian painting before the 12th century, the book discusses mural painting, manuscripts, origin of paper and its fabrication, the composition of the page, colours/pigments used in the paintings, painting subjects, bookbinding etc.

The painter, man and artist, his origin, his training, his status, aesthetics and taste, his workshop and its organisation and distribution of tasks therein, molecular construction of the manuscripts, library, the calligraphy surrounding the painting, itsq illuminations and binding are all analysed.

In fact the book reconstructs the entire process of making an illustrated manuscript from its ground work to its binding. Persian text and illustrations enhance the utility of the work.