Tazhib: the art of Persian manuscript illumination

What illuminators paint

• Shamseh (sunburst medallions) on opening pages
• Sar-lowh headpieces above text
• Margin borders (tash'ir) and rosettes
• Panels framing poetry and Qur'anic text

Materials

Shell gold (gold powder in gum), lapis-based blue, malachite green, and other mineral or lake pigments on burnished paper. Fine brushes of cat or squirrel hair are traditional.

Contemporary practice

Tazhib is taught at Tehran, Isfahan and Tabriz art schools and remains a lively field, often paired with nastaliq calligraphy and miniature painting.

Buying

Ask whether gold is real shell gold or gold paint, and whether the piece is original or a print. Original work shows slightly raised pigment under raking light.

A note on this guide

This is a general introduction written by the CraftPersia editorial team and has not yet been reviewed by a specialist. Workshop practice varies between towns and families; treat dates and figures as approximate and confirm details with makers, museums or published scholarship before relying on them.