Definition
The decoration of manuscript pages and album leaves with gold and coloured pigments in geometric and floral designs framing text or painting.
History
Illuminated headpieces, medallions and borders are central to Timurid and Safavid manuscripts; contemporary illuminators work in both traditional and new formats.
Dates and attributions here summarise common scholarly positions and are under editorial review; they are not definitive.
Technique
Designs are drawn with compasses and rulers, then filled with gold (often shell gold) and mineral or organic pigments, outlined with fine brushes.
Collecting and identification
Gold flaking, pigment loss and later remounting of leaves into albums are common; leaves are often separated from original books.
This guidance is educational only and is not an authentication or valuation service.
Reference samples
The reference samples on this page are documented objects in public collections, shown with their holding institution's attribution and licence. They illustrate the craft and are not for sale.
گالری
تصاویر نمونههایی معرف هستند، نه سندی برای رکوردهای نمونهٔ بازارچه. منبع و وضعیت مجوز آنها در بخش اعتبارهای عکاسی آمده است.
بازارچه
در حال حاضر هیچ شیئی از این صنعت فهرست نشده است.
Reference samples in collections
Documented objects from museums, archives and auction records, shown for study. Not for sale; attributions are the holding institution's, not CraftPersia's.
Illuminated folio (recto) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)
calligraphy: c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Cleveland Museum of Art · 2006.147.a · CC0 (museum open access)
Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)
about 1475–1500; border: about 1550
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Cleveland Museum of Art · 2006.148.b · CC0 (museum open access)
Illuminated folio (verso) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)
calligraphy: c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Cleveland Museum of Art · 2006.147.b · CC0 (museum open access)
Double-Sided Leaf from a Qur'an
1100s
opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Cleveland Museum of Art · 1939.507 · CC0 (museum open access)
منابع و مآخذ
- Book: Wulff, H. E. The Traditional Crafts of Persia. MIT Press, 1966.
- Museum catalogue: Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access collection records for Iranian objects (accessed 2026-09-24).
در جایی که خاستگاه، تاریخ یا نمادشناسی محل مناقشه است، این مدخل روایتهای رقیب را بیان میکند نه اینکه میان آنها یکی را برگزیند. تحلیل سردبیری بهعنوان واقعیتِ مستند ارائه نمیشود.