Name: Alifiya Kurawarwala

Course: UG FSID L3

Statement: How Miniature Painting has lost its originality and authenticity over the
years.

Abstract: Miniature painting is an art form which has lost its originality and authenticity
and much of its earlier quality as the time has passed. Miniature painting artists have
refrained themselves from carrying the art form ahead and passing it to the next
generation. However, with the passage of time, the natural colors have been replaced by
poster colors. The schools of miniature have also been commercialized, and the artists
mostly replicate the work produced by the old painters. This beautiful hand-made art
form has become history now and survives in the printed versions of a connoisseur’s
table calendar or a foreign tourist’s souvenirs from India.

Keywords: Miniature, painting, art, form, artists, decline, lost ancient, hand-made,
colours, intricate, authenticity, India.

Fig.1 Painting depicting the welcome of the King from a war

Introduction: Miniature Paintings are examples of superb and skilled talent exhibited by
the Indian artists by doing exemplary painting work on palm leaf, ivory, and handmade
paper. Considering the small size of the palm leaves or paper, the images were
comparatively small in size and had to be coloured, thus the name ‘miniature’ painting.
Much intricate and detailed work was involved in these paintings and is worthy of great
appreciation and value.

Literature Review:
Over the years, miniature painting has lost its very essence of intricate, detailed and hand-
made work. In order to survive, the art form has been modernized by the artists and they
no longer use the earlier techniques, tools, materials as they did in past. Miniature
painting involves tedious and delicate brushwork that captivates under close scrutiny.
Creating miniature art can be extremely tedious and painstaking with a narrow margin of
error. Artists sometimes try as many as 5 times to put a highlight in the animals
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eye...often the paint being such a small amount dries before they can get it into the right
area. Observers of their work are always amazed at how tiny and detailed the paintings
actually are in real life versus what they see online or in print. With the passage of time
the new generation is not really willing to adapt this form of art because it consumes a lot
of time and it requires a lot of patience to finish even a very small painting. As a result
people prefer Modern paintings over Miniature paintings now because they are more
expensive and consume more time and effort. Miniature paintings are more traditional
and people want to portray that they are more modern nowadays.
Modern paintings are lot easier to create. For an art form like Miniature painting a lot of
skill, time and practice is required to master it and people now are usually not willing to
invest so much. One major reason why this art form is declining and losing its
authenticity is because of lack of artists or teachers who are willing to teach this art form
in the traditional way. There exists only few art schools where this art form is being
taught. Even though the essential techniques of Miniature Painting have been
disseminated, material knowledge has undergone a process of abbreviation. For example,
students are no longer taught the traditional way of preparing wasli paper; instead, cheap,
mass-produced paper is used. Knowledge of pigment preparation has followed a similar
course of departure from tradition. Instead of natural handmade colour they use poster
colours and artists mostly replicate the work produced by old painters. They have no
originality in their work and most of the designs are repeated which makes it loose its
uniqueness. Artists have refrained themselves from continuing the art form because they
don’t often get the desired amount worth their time and effort.
Before the invention of technology such as photography there was not a town of any
importance that had not its miniature painter, who produced in quantity those white-
washy portraits on ivory, which, as a rule, possessed such a strong likeness to one
another. As there was no form of portraits/ photographs being taken, they would get
artists to paint their portraits.
Stories were conveyed through these paintings.

Few examples are:

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 Bani Thani by Nihal Chand

Bani Thani refers to an Indian miniature painting painted by Nihâl Chand from the
Marwar school of Kishangarh. It portrays a woman who is elegant and graceful. The
painting's subject, Bani Thani, was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of king
Sawant Singh (1748–1764). She has been Christened India's "Mona Lisa".

Inspired by Radha, Bani Thani is characterized by idealized distinct features such as

arched eyebrows, lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin. This painting was featured
in an Indian stamp issued on 5 May 1973.

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 A miniature painting from the Padshahnama, depicting Shah-Jahan receiving his three
eldest sons and Asaf Khan during his accession ceremonies (8 March 1628) 1656-57
Shah-Jahan succeeded to the throne on the death of his father the Emperor Jahangir, in
November 1627. This painting shows one of the key elements of the accession
ceremonies in the following year. It is the first illustration in the Padshahnama narrative
to show Shah-Jahan as Emperor. The event recorded is the arrival at the fort in Agra on 8
March 1628 of the Emperor's four sons with their maternal grandfather Asaf Khan. The
eldest son, Prince Dara-Shikoh, kneels before his father; behind him are Prince Shah-
Shuja and Prince Awrangzeb (Shah-Jahan's successor). The youngest son, Prince
Muradbakhsh stands behind his father. Many of the nobles in attendance for example, the
man in brown holding the paper in the bottom third of the picture, the great commander
A'zam Khan is Asaf Khan's brother and the man in a black and white robe. There’s both a
symmetry and a balance to the composition. The eye is immediately drawn to the
Emperor and below him to the surface of a large globe, on which two lions and a lamb
are seated. These images are symbolic of peace and harmony - elements we are
encouraged to believe would be the hallmark of the reign.

Theoretical Background:

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Like many other forgotten art forms of India, Miniature Painting is yet another on the list.
Contrary to the popular belief that Miniature Painting was brought by the Mughals to
India, this art form has been existent in India since before 11th and 12th century and was
enhanced by the Mughals.
Miniature Paintings are examples of superb and skilled talent exhibited by the Indian
artists by doing exemplary painting work on palm leaf. Considering the small size of the
palm leaves, the images were comparatively small in size and had to be coloured, thus the
name ‘miniature’ painting. Much intricate and detailed work was involved in miniature
paintings and is worthy of great appreciation and value.
Much of the art, culture and lifestyle of ancient and medieval India are best revealed
through Miniature Paintings. Crafted by the regional artists, these paintings narrate the
stories of bygone dynasties.
However, in order to survive within a contemporary art institution, miniature painting had
to be modified and “modernized.” Consequently, the traditional master-disciple
relationship has been sacrificed. Instead, the intensive apprenticeship that formerly
unfolded over decades has been condensed into two to four academic years. On one hand,
the academic format has allowed miniature painting to survive and evolve; on the other
hand, students of the practice can hope to build only a superficial understanding of the
tradition.
Even though the essential techniques of Mughal musawwari have been disseminated,
material knowledge has undergone a process of abbreviation. For example, students are
no longer taught the traditional way of preparing wasli paper; instead, cheap, mass-
produced paper is used. Knowledge of pigment preparation has followed a similar course
of departure from tradition. As well as zinc white—safaida—which continues to be used
as the vehicle of opacity for all pigments, students rely on imported commercial
watercolors. Current students’ lack of exposure to traditional material preparation has led
to a marked indifference toward craft. Perhaps this is one reasons why it has been
inevitable for NCA miniaturists to break from traditional models.
Partons’ recent focus on contemporary practice has also served to widen the gap between
traditional practice and its current manifestations. In a global art economy, miniaturists
are now encouraged to invoke “ethnic” aesthetics; however, paradoxically, they continue
to be influenced by and judged according
to an established European canon.
Miniature art has been in existence for
centuries tracing its heritage back to the
illustrated manuscripts of scribes in the Far
East and Europe prior to the 15th century.
The current resurgence in popularity in
miniature art started in 1896 in England
and expanded worldwide in the late 1900s.

The contemporary revival in miniature art

has been marked by a clear move towards
explicitly including size and scale in the
general description of the works. In an
effort to encourage and further define the
direction of the art form most contemporary societies have adopted a one-sixth scale
guideline: Subjects should be rendered one-sixth their life-size or smaller with some
leeway given to naturally small subjects (hummingbirds, butterflies and delicate flowers).
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Some shows place no guidelines on subject size and limit only the image area. Framing
guidelines have been loosened lately to include more molding styles and sizes as long as
the overall framed work falls under the set size. Most society exhibitions encourage
delicate frames matching the proportions of the artwork.

Foremost in importance in contemporary miniature art is the highly skilled and

painstaking techniques should be evident upon viewing the artwork. This is often
described as the work should hold up well under magnification. It should draw the
viewer’s eye deeper and deeper into itself with amazement at the gem-like details of the
tiny treasure.

Although no Indian miniatures survive from before about 1000 CE, and few from the
next few centuries, there was probably a considerable tradition. Those that survive are
initially illustrations for Buddhist texts, later followed by Jain and Hindu equivalents, and
the decline of Buddhist as well as the vulnerable support material of the palm-leaf
manuscript probably explain the rarity of early examples.
Mughal painting in miniatures on paper developed very quickly in the late 16th century
from the combined influence of the existing miniature tradition and artists trained in the
Persian miniature tradition imported by the Mughal Emperor's court. New ingredients in
the style were much greater realism, especially in portraits, and an interest in animals,
plants and other aspects of the physical world.
Miniatures either illustrated books or were single works for muraqqas or albums of
painting and Islamic calligraphy. The style gradually spread in the next two centuries to
influence painting on paper in both Muslim and Hindu princely courts, developing into a
number of regional styles often called "sub-Mughal", including Kangra painting and
Rajput painting, and finally Company painting, a hybrid watercolour style influenced by
European art and largely patronized by the people of the British raj. From the 19th
century Western-style easel paintings became increasingly painted by Indian artists
trained in Government art schools.

Miniatures paintings are wonderful and very special works of art because they are
delicate handmade paintings, much smaller in size than a normal painting. This is indeed
the hallmark of these paintings - the intricate and delicate brushwork, which lends them
their unique identity, requires much patience and skill on the part of the artist making
them. It is indeed difficult even to create a normal painting or portrait, so one can imagine
just how much more difficult it would be to create a miniature painting.

The colors used in miniature painting are handmade, acquired from vegetables, minerals,
indigo, conch shells, precious stones, pure gold and silver. The
most common theme of Indian miniature painting comprises the
Ragas i.e., the melodies of Indian classical music. Miniature
painting is an ancient art in India and there were many schools of
the same, including those of the Rajputs, Deccans and the
Mughals.
Evolution of miniature painting in India

Uses of Miniature Painting

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Miniature painting began out of necessity for illustrating documents and manuscripts to
aid those reading them during a time when many were not able to, before printing was
invented. The miniature helped to convey the story and meaning of the written word.
Therefore, the art of miniature painting is directly connected to the book arts. The
various sized illuminations (pictures) were cut out of these books or documents so that
they could be carried more easily. Later, developing from the carried miniature, portrait
miniature artists were commissioned to paint small portraits – paintings that were used as
we use wallet sized photographs today. These sizes of miniature paintings became
popular with collectors and are often referred to as “hand held miniatures”. Portrait
miniatures were painted in larger sizes as well, for example master miniaturist, Nicholas
Hilliard, Peter Oliver, and Sir Charles William Ross all painted works that were of a
larger size.
Miniature painting is sometimes confused and assumed that the pieces must be small or
depict subjects on a smaller scale to be considered miniature art,Fig. 3 Miniature
though Painting
this is not the Portrait
case. It is helpful to keep in mind that the origins of the term “miniature” have nothing to
do with a size. The word miniature comes from the terms ‘minium’ (used for the red lead
paint used in illuminated manuscripts) and ‘miniare’ (Latin for ‘to color with red lead’).

Evolution of Miniature Painting In India

The art of Indian Miniatures painting started in the Western Himalayas, round about the
17th century. These paintings were very much influenced by the mural paintings that
originated during the later half of the 18th century. This art further flourished during the
Mughal rule. Muslim kings of the Deccan and Malwa as also the Hindu Rajas of
Rajasthan, were patrons of this great tradition. In fact, the Mughals were even responsible
for introducing the unique Persian flavor in the miniature paintings of India.

The concept of illustrated palm leaf manuscripts came into being during the 11th and
12th centuries. Since the manuscripts were diminutive in size, the painting done on it had
to be much smaller. This in itself could have given rise to the concept of miniature
painting.

Miniature paintings are also done on wooden tables, ivory panels, paper, marble, leather,
on walls and even on cloth. Some of the special miniature paintings show the flourishing
of the Mughal period, illustrated manuscripts of Jains and Buddhists, scenes from the
Rajput history and also Deccan miniatures. Additionally, miniature paintings also
included themes from Indian epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvata Purana,
Rasikpriya, Rasamanjiri and the ragas of Indian classical music.

Methods and Materials used in miniature painting

Miniature paintings require a high degree of expertise and complete dedication on the
part of the artist. Very thin brushes are used, with which intricate, colorful and rational
impressions are drawn on the medium of painting.

Miniature paper painting art are done on old or new hand made paper of very fine quality.
They depict animals and birds, butterflies, Mughal themes and so on. Miniature paintings

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made of pure marble slabs thematically feature birds and animals, scenes from Indian
mythology, beautifully attired women, turbaned men and Mughal themes.

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9
Schools of Miniature Paintings
Beginning from the Pala style of miniature paintings, several schools of miniature
paintings evolved in India over the course of several centuries. These schools were the
products of the social, religious, economic and political atmosphere prevalent in different
regions of India. Though these schools of miniature paintings were influenced by each
other, they had their own distinct features as well. Some of the important schools of
miniature paintings are mentioned below:

Pala School

The earliest Indian miniature paintings are related to the Pala School dating back to the
8th century A.D. This school of painting emphasized on the symbolic use of colors and
the themes were often taken from the Buddhist tantric rituals. Images of Buddha and
other deities were portrayed on palm leaves and were often displayed in Buddhist
monasteries, such as Nalanda, Somapura Mahavihara, Odantapuri and Vikramasila. These
miniature paintings attracted thousands of students from far and wide. Thus, the art form
spread across South-East Asia and soon, the Pala style of paintings became popular in
places like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Tibet, etc. Apart from the emphasis on symbolic
usage of colors, other prominent characteristics of the Pala School include the skillful and
graceful usage of lines, and modeling forms by delicate and expressive variation of
pressure, usage of natural colors, etc.

Orissa School

The Orissa School of miniature painting came into existence during the 17th century A.D.
Though the usage of paper was widespread in India during the 17th century, Orissa
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School of miniature paintings stuck to its tradition as it continued using palm leaves to
display this intricate art form. Most of the paintings depicted the love stories of Radha
and Krishna and also stories from ‘Krishna Leela’ and ‘Gita Govinda’. These paintings
were rich in color and often depicted the majestic landscape of the eastern parts of India.
The strokes used were bold and often expressive.

Jain School

One of the earliest schools of miniature paintings in India, the Jain School of painting
gained prominence in the 11th century A.D when religious texts like ‘Kalpa Sutra’ and
‘Kalkacharya Katha’ were portrayed in the form of miniature paintings. Like other
schools of miniature paintings, Jain School too, displayed its art works on palm leaves,
but started using paper from the late 12th century. Natural colors including gold and
silver were used to depict the stories. Some of the exclusive features of these paintings
include portrayal of enlarged eyes, square shaped hands and portrayal of stylish figures.
Also, the colors used were often vibrant and most often than not, colors like green, red,
gold and blue were used. The paintings often displayed male figures and goddesses of the
Tirthankara. Also, the goddesses shown in the paintings were often heavily ornamented.
These paintings began to decline during the late 16th century.

Mughal School

The amalgamation of Indian paintings and Persian miniature paintings gave rise to the
Mughal School of miniature painting. Interestingly, Persian miniature paintings were
largely influenced by Chinese paintings. The Mughal style of painting flourished from

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16th to 18th centuries, especially under the reign of Akbar. Scenes from the royal court,
hunting expeditions, wild life and battles were often displayed through these paintings.
Plants and trees were portrayed realistically and the paintings had rich frames that were
decorated heavily. Such was the importance given to miniature painting by the Mughal
Emperors that many famous artists were commissioned to come up with several pieces of
art. The Mughal style of painting also inspired Hindu painters who came up with
miniatures depicting stories from ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’. Since the Mughal rule
saw various emperors, the style of miniature paintings differed with emperors. While
Humayun and Jahangir encouraged paintings that portrayed events from their respective
life, in Shah Jahan’s reign painters began giving importance to portraiture. Some of the
well-known miniature artists of Shah Jahan's rule were Bichiter, Anup Chattar,
Chaitaraman, Inayat, Mohammed Nadir of Samarquand and Makr. In addition to
portaiture, many paintings of the period depict groups of ascetics and mystics and several
illustrated manuscripts. Mughal miniature paintings started to decline with the reign of
Aurangzeb as he is said to have condemned the practice of art, especially miniature
paintings.

Rajasthani School

The decline of the Mughal miniature paintings resulted in the rise of the Rajasthani
School. Rajasthani School of painting can be further divided into various schools
depending on the region they were created in. The Mewar School, Marwar School,
Hadoti School, Dhundar School, Kangra and Kullu Schools of art are all part of
Rajasthani School of painting. Like the Mughal Emperors, the Rajput rulers were also
lovers of art and gave their patronage to miniature paintings.

Each Rajputana kingdom had its own distinct style with a few common features. Apart
from depicting stories from the Ramayana and the royal lifestyle of kings and queens,
Rajasthani miniature paintings often portrayed the legacy of present and past rulers. They
also portrayed social values and the changes introduced by kings for the betterment of
society. The background of the paintings formed a special feature of the Rajasthani
school. Colors used were often bold and contrasting in nature. Natural colors, extracted
from plants, minerals, shells, gold, silver and precious stones, were used. The preparation
of colors itself would often take weeks and only fine brushes were used. The difficult art
of miniature painting still exists in Rajasthan where the painters often use paper, ivory
and silk as their canvas. However, natural colors are no longer used as they have been
replaced by artificial colors.

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Pahari School

Pahari School of miniature painting emerged in the 17th century A.D. These paintings
originated in the kingdoms of North India, in the Himalayan region. Influenced by the
Mughal School and the Rajasthani School of miniature paintings, the Pahari style of
paintings flourished in the Jammu and Garhwal regions from 17th to 19th centuries. The
Pahari School of paintings gave rise to various other schools. Some of the most important
schools of paintings under Pahari paintings are Guler School, Basohli School, Garhwal
School, Chamba School and Kangra School. Each and every style of painting has its
distinct features, but the portrayal of gods and goddesses is one of the most common
features of the Pahari School of miniature painting. The scenic beauty of the Himalayas
was also often depicted in these paintings. While usage of bold and contrasting colors
shows the influence of Rajasthani School of miniature paintings, heavily decorated
frames and borders exhibits the influence of the Mughal School.

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Deccan School

The Deccan School of miniature painting flourished in places like Ahmednagar,

Golconda, Tanjore, Hyderabad and Bijapur from 16th to 19th century A.D. The Deccan
School of miniature painting was largely influenced by the rich traditions of the Deccan
and the religious beliefs of Turkey, Persia and Iran. These paintings are different from
that of their Mughal counterpart. They often portrayed intense colors and sensuous
looking female figures. The ladies were portrayed with beautiful faces, large eyes and
broad foreheads. Also, symmetrical arrangement played a prominent role in the Deccan
School of miniature painting. Even the miniatures that depict scenic beauty have a sense
of symmetry attached to it. Instead of frequently portraying trees and plants, the artists
from the Deccan School of painting chose to portray geometrically accurate buildings and
other man made wonders. These paintings also display the usage of various strokes and
depth, creating multi-dimensional effect. Bright colors like red and orange are some of
the most important aspects of Deccan School of miniature painting.

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