Side by side
| Persian miniature | Illumination (Tazhib) | |
|---|---|---|
| Persian name | نگارگری ایرانی | تذهیب |
| Category | Painting · Manuscript painting | Book arts · Manuscript illumination |
| Materials | natural-dyes | paper |
| Techniques | tazhib-illumination | — |
| Regions | isfahan, shiraz, tabriz | isfahan, tabriz, mashhad |
| Periods | ilkhanid, timurid, safavid, qajar, contemporary | timurid, safavid, qajar, contemporary |
| Motifs | gol-o-morgh, eslimi-arabesque | eslimi-arabesque |
| Current vitality | Living tradition | Living tradition |
What they share
- Regions: isfahan, tabriz
- Motifs: eslimi-arabesque
- Periods: timurid, safavid, qajar, contemporary
How to tell them apart
- Materials such as natural-dyes point towards Persian miniature.
- Materials such as paper point towards Illumination (Tazhib).
- Persian miniature typically involves tazhib-illumination.
- The stated place of making is a useful clue, but never proof on its own.
Read more
- Persian miniature entry · buying guide
- Illumination (Tazhib) entry · buying guide
- Persian miniature vs Nasta'liq calligraphy
- Persian miniature vs Persian lacquer painting
- Persian miniature vs Traditional bookbinding (Sahhafi)
- Illumination (Tazhib) vs Traditional bookbinding (Sahhafi)
- Paper marbling (Abr-o-bad) vs Illumination (Tazhib)
- Persian lacquer painting vs Illumination (Tazhib)
Disclaimer
This comparison is educational and built from entries still under review. It cannot confirm what a particular object is.