Offering Bearers, 7th century.

Fragment of the Ajina Tepe mural.

The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

 

 

The schools

 

The distinctive features of narrative style are revealed in the miniatures of the only tome of a poem called Fatkh-Nameh (early 16th century): precise drawing but without emotion, large figures but few, well-balanced and static compositions. This severe style, without any details, using restrained colour, gives the miniatures of Fatkh-Nameh their great originality. The local Uzbekan element is present in the aspect of the characters, in their clothing; their surrounding environment denotes their ancient nomadic traditions.

 

This local aspect is characteristic of many miniatures of the first half of the 16th century, outstanding because of the remarkable mastery of their painting. That is what the illustrations of Khamse by Alisher Navoi, copied out and illustrated in Shakhrisabz by two miniaturists, are like. The first compositions are slightly static, with few characters, big and strong figures, the drawing fine and precise. The colours are well-matched, but the palette has its limitations and the colours are condensed and without gloss. The colours of the second illustrator are more vivid; the compositions are more complex and dynamic, the figures slimmer, and their movements more fluid.

 

Miniatures which embellish the Anvarisuhaili by the poet Kachifi are very close to the former ones mentioned as far as their style is concerned, but their manner is more intimate.

 

The artist chooses genre scenes evolving in the heart of nature. The figures are graceful, their movements lithe; they stand out against the background of hills studded with tufts of grass, or a golden sky flecked with fleecy clouds. The compositions are based on the contrast between the undulating lines of the hills and the figures expressed in brief outlines.

 

The details of Uzbek clothing and objects furnishing the interiors are represented in the miniatures of the History of Aboulkhair, independently of the characters, Alexander the Great or Sassanid shahs. The nomadic lifestyle of the steppes predominates in depicting the environment. The most frequent subject of these miniatures is a reception by the khan, taking place according to the strict rules of etiquette, not in a palace, but in the middle of nature amongst tents and yurts. The compositions are rather static; the range of colours is bright and contrasting. The landscape is usually treated in a decorative manner.