No suitable subject-specific photograph has been screened for this term. The comparison table below provides a visual reading aid without substituting unrelated imagery.
Spelling and pronunciation
- Persian: تذهیب
- Transliteration: tazhib
- English usage: Illumination
Spellings vary between dealers, museums and regions. Usage notes are under review.
How the term is used
Means illumination: ornamental painting in gold and colours around text or paintings.
Common confusions
Different from tash'ir, the fine gold drawing of animals and plants in margins.
Ornament organises a page
Headings, rulings, medallions and borders organise text through gold and colour. Read their relationship to writing and painting. A later border can surround an earlier central sheet.
Shine cannot identify gold or application method. Tashir marginal drawing is related but distinct from every illuminated pattern. Keep material and process claims attributed and never rub or wet a surface to test them.
Compare the evidence
| Object or term | What to examine | Limit of the evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Headpiece | Text division | Not every gold area is alike. |
| Border | Relationship to centre | May be later. |
| Marginal drawing | Figurative or vegetal lines | Related but distinct practice. |
Practical questions
- Can a photo identify shell gold?
- Usually not. Retain catalogue or maker evidence; avoid destructive testing.
Sources and further reading
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art · The arts of the book in the Islamic world
Collaborative manuscript production and page arts; not authentication of a particular sheet.
Editorial draft awaiting specialist review. References provide context, not verification of every statement, object attribution or current workshop access.
Used in these crafts
The Iranian tradition of small-scale painting made for manuscripts and albums, built from fine line, flat luminous colour and layered spatial convention rather than single-point perspective.
A hanging cursive script developed in Iran for Persian poetry, distinguished by its sloping baseline, sharply contrasted thick and thin strokes, and sweeping final letters.