Abstract:

The history of miniature has always been related to the socio-cultural and political contents and inclinations of each region. The analysis of finely illuminated and illustrated examples of historic manuscripts in Iran and Turkey was primarily dependent upon patrons, who were usually the rulers or governors of each region and wealthy enough to afford the large staff and expensive materials necessary for production of art masterpieces. The relative stability in Turkey provided meant that from the mid-fifteenth century Ottoman painting could develop virtually uninterrupted, whereas Iran was unstable due to political upheaval and constant threats of invasions. These problems which caused artists and craftsmen to move from one part of country to another at various times in different regions of Iran did not happen in Turkey leading to creation of different artifacts. In this paper, the evolution of miniature in Iran and turkey has been reviewed, analyzed and then compared based on the factors influencing the contents of these miniature in Safavid of Iran and Ottoman of Turkey. 

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