Persian Miniature Painting on Camel Bone. Depicts workers in the field along with musicians playing music while a woman dances for a reclining man. Label with prior gallery information on the back. 

Overall Size: 14 x 17 in. 

Sight Size: 5 x 9 1/2 in. 

#2840 . 

Miniature painting is one of the oldest art forms in modern Iran. The origins of the Persian miniature are difficult to trace, and heavily intertwined with the Indian miniatures which first appeared in the 9th Century AD, but it reached its peak mainly during the Mongol and Timurid periods of the 13th to 16th Centuries. The most important function of miniature in the beginning was illustration of literary stories and books of poetry, like the Shahnameh (the Book of Kings). Due to the harsh climate, paper was difficult to maintain, and camel bones became the main material to paint on, along with ivory, though it was much scarcer. Camel bones would be washed, boiled, and scrubbed thoroughly to remove any soil, fluids, or decayed matter, then polished to a flat, shiny finish. Brushes made of cat fur or the feathers of pigeons were used to apply watercolors to the bone, crafting the images in delicate detail. At the end of the process the bones were sealed with wax and other thick forms of varnish to seal in the watercolors, and then placed in a frame surrounded by khatam, a Persian inlay and early form of marquetry. After Isfahan was selected as the capital of Iran by the order of King Abbas I in 1598, the art and architectural boom there led to the opening of a school dedicated to miniature art. This school continues to operate to this day, and the old methods of working on bone are preserved, although the industry has shrunk considerably, with only a handful of artisan solely dedicated to the craft.