There were wonderful traditions in the different kinds of painting, particularly portraying human characters in the Middle Ages when Islam dogmas were dominating. This is evidenced by the development of miniature art in that period.
The miniature painting in Azerbaijan provided a significant contribution to the cultures of the Near and Far East. It occupies a special place in the history of world fine arts.
The history of Azerbaijani miniature paintings, which first appeared in the form of book illustration is not determined exactly. Nevertheless, stylistic and artistic peculiarities of miniatures, painted by Abdulmomin Mahammad al-Khoyi for manuscript "Varga and Gulsha" in early XIII century (Topkapi museum, Istanbul), show that they are based on certain traditions of the miniature paintings, which existed since the ancient times. Miniatures, painted for "Varga and Gulsha", are considered some of the ancient patterns of this art not only in Azerbaijan but in the Near and Far East.
Calligraphy and miniature speedily spread in Maragha, Tabriz and other towns of Azerbaijan, Tabriz turned into a powerful centre of artistic creation, book art, calligraphy and miniature painting in XIII-XIV centuries. East. painters, profited by Chinese and Uigurian art, tried to adapt Far East nations' picture forms and expression means with local traditions — superficial-and-decorative forms.
Tabriz masters created the artistic style of successful graphic and painting styles synthesis in the middles of the XIV century. Development of this new style reflected on the miniatures of the well-known manuscript "Great Tabriz Shahname" (a book praising shahs) or "Demott Shahname" of 1340-1350s. The Miniatures, painted by famous painters of that time Ahmad Musa and Shammsaddin, are keeping in some of world museums and libraries. Only 58 miniatures of these manuscripts are known. Researchers highly appreciated the development of Tabriz miniature school of that time, particularly illustrations of "Demott Shahname". French art critic Ostash de Lorey writes: "miniature art has never been so sublime, original and far from academism".
Artistic style peculiarities of Azerbaijan miniature art is much more improved in the early XV century. Style, artistic quality of pictures, painted by genius painter Abd-al-Khayin for poem "Khosrov and Shirin" by Nizami Gandjavi (1405-10, Frir Gallery, Washington), "Divan" (selected poems) by the last Jalair ruler Sultan Ahmad (1405-10, Frir Gallery, Washington) and illustrations, painted by calligrapher Jafar Tabrizi for "Mehr and Mushtari" by Assar Tabrizi (1419) testify perfection of Tabriz school.
Tabriz had been sublime art centre, providing the Near and Far East towns with talented masters, for a long time since the early XV century. Famous German art critic F.Shults called Tabriz "mother school" ("Mutter Schule"), had a great impact on miniature art of neighbour Eastern states. Miniature art began to develop in Shamakhi and Baku under the influence of Tabriz school in XV century. Illustrations, painted for "Anthology of Eastern poesy " or "Shamakhi anthology" (1468, British Museum, London) and other manuscripts, portraits with one and two figures by Abdulbagi Bakuvi ("Mehtar", "Two emirs"; Topkapi museum, Istanbul) are some of the best miniature patterns of Shamakhi and Baku painters.
New raising period of Tabriz miniature art late XV century. 9 miniatures of early XVI century, painted for Istanbul "Khamsa", written for Sultan Yaqub in 1481 and completed in the period of Shah Ismay?l I, principally differ from the miniatures of the same subject and considered more valuable, for figurative expression means, complicate composition and grandiloquent decorativeness, colour richness ("Khosrov looks at Shirin in her swimming ", "Iskandar and Dara", "Iskandar and herdsman", "Iskandar in Nushaba's palace" etc.). These works were doubtless painted by the founder of Tabriz miniature school Sultan Mahammad, his contemporaries and students in XVI century. It is not accidental, that the most valuable miniatures of unknown authors, created in this period, are usually referred to Sultan Mahammad school or his style.
Development peak of this school dated to the XVI century. Tabriz, the capital of Azerbaijan, turned into the main centre of culture, aesthetic view, artistic creation in connection with the appearance of centralizing Safavids state
. Famous painters, calligraphers and masters of the East like Kamaladdin Behzad, Sheykhzade, Aghamirak Isfahani, Shah Mahmud Nishapuri, Dust Mahammad created under the direction of great master Sultan Mahammad along with talented local painters like Mir Musavvir, Mirza Ali Tabrizi, Mir Seyid Ali, Muzaffar Ali in the palace library of Shah Ismayil and Tahmasib in Tabriz.
Relation of Tabriz miniature school with classic literature became closer since the XVI century. Works, poetical plot and characters of Firdovsi, Nizami, Sadi, Hafiz, Jami, Navai, Amir Khosrov Dahlavi and others occupy the main place in the creation of Tabriz painters. A lot of books and the most valuable miniatures painted for these two works "Shahname" and "Khamsa". Some of the miniatures, blending artistic style peculiarities of Tabriz school of XVI century, as illustrations painted for manuscripts "Khamsa" of 1524 (Subway-museum, New-York), "Shahname" (Institute of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg), "Guy ve Chovkan", "Chami at-Tavarich" of 1528 (both in the Library named after M.Y.Saltikov-Shedrin, St. Petersburg) draw close attention. Relatively simple and laconic works in respect to simple composition, colour, character solution and landscape motives represent the transitional period from laconic style peculiarity of XV century to the new grandiloquent decorative style of.
Eastern miniature art reached the peak of its development in 1530-1540s. A lot of valuable manuscripts in the view of artistic aesthetics and mastery were worked out in this period.
Manuscripts "Shah and Darvish" with three delicate small miniatures (The Library named after M.Y.Saltikov-Shedrin, St.Petersburg), "Shahname" with 258 miniatures (1537; some of them are in the Metro Museum of New-York, the rest in the Houghton collection, New-York) and world-famous "Khamsa" with 14 rare miniatures (1539-1543, British Museum, London) are considered masterpieces of book art and miniature painting in the East due to rich artistic design, delicate decorative adornments. Some of the miniatures painted for "Shahname" are "Keyumarz's meeting", "Execution of Zohhak" by Sultan Mahammad, "Reception of Indian envoys" by Mirza Ali Tabrizi, Hunting and battle scenes by Muzaffar Ali, Palace meetings by Mir Seyid Ali, miniatures painted for "Khamsa" are "Sultan Sandjar and old woman", "Khosrov looks at Shirin in her swimming", "Prophet Muhammad's ascension" by Sultan Mahammad. "Conversation of Anushiravan and owls" by Mir Musavvir, "Khosrov listens to Barbad's music", "Shapur shows Khosrov's portrait to Shirin" by Mirza Ali Tabrizi, "Beggar-woman takes Madjnun to Leyli" by Mir Seyid Ali and other works are considered the peak of the Eastern miniature art. Plots of "Sahname" and "Khamsa", loved by Eastern painters, were brightly and classically reflected on works by Sultan Mahammad and his contemporaries. Azerbaijan painters created original miniatures for other poetic works as well. For instance, "Sham Mirza's music and drunken revel", "In the meykhana" (tavern), painted by Sultan Mahammad in 1530s for "Divan" by Hafiz, miniatures painted by unknown painter for works by A.Jami, Amir Khosrov Dahlavi, Sadi (The library named after M.Y.Saltikov-Shedrin, St. Petersburg). Characters described in "In meykhana" by Sultan Mahammad are considered rare works in Eastern miniature art in view of psychological expressiveness, grotesque and satire.
Easel miniatures occasionally met in miniature art till XVI century, turned into particular genre. Ordinary life scenes like hunting and battle scenes, musical and drunken revels, palace entertainments, portraits of shahs and nobility are mainly painted in the independent miniatures in contrast to book illustrations. "Musical revel in the palace " by Mirza Ali Tabrizi, "Hunting scene" by Sultan Mahammad, "Village life" and "Town life" by Mir Seyid Ali, kept in the special albums or included into different manuscript books in museums and libraries of Russia (St. Petersburg), Turkey (Istanbul), as well as Europe and the USA occupy exceptional place in Eastern miniature art.
Sultan Mahammad, Mir Musavvir, Dust Mahammad and others created some portrait miniatures in the middles of XVI century. Painters described characters of shahs and nobility in compliance with beauty notion of that time in these portraits, which sometimes differ but sometimes not for typicalness, character solution and ethnographic peculiarity, given in different positions. The main purpose of these portraits, created on the basis of certain canons (rule, style), was to praise rulers' outward appearance.—
A group of painters worked in the palace library, gathered in the new centre in connection with removing Savavis's capital from Tabriz to Gazvin in the second half of the XVI century. Miniatures, created by Azerbaijan painters in Gazvin till 1575, do not differ from miniatures of Tabriz period because of artistic style peculiarities and represent its logical continuation.
Development of Azerbaijan miniature art and formation of new style in Gazvin in the second half and late XVI century related with the creation of Sultan Mahammad's successors Siyavush bay, Mir Zeynalabdin Tabrizi, Ali Rza Abbasi Tabrizi and well-known masters Mohammadi and Sadig bay Afshar. Independent miniatures, reflecting real life and ordinary housing scenes, were created in this period. Stagnation of Azerbaijan book and miniature art is observed in the second half of XVI century. One of the main reasons was lost of Tabriz's culture centre role in connection with removing of the capital, another was Tabriz painters' working in the art centres of Turkey and Iran, as well as lack of comprehensively developed masters with wide creative potential like Sultan Mahammad and his successors.
Tabriz school kept creative relations with neighbour states, representatives of the school worked in foreign countries in different periods. Well-known painter Mir Seyid Ali with his father Mir Musavvir had worked as chef painter in the palace of Mogul rulers as Humay (1530-39, 1555-59) and Akbar (1556-1605) in India for a long time. They played a great role in the training of young painters, foundation and development of Indian painting school, named Mogul miniature school. Azerbaijan painters had a great influence on the development of Turkish miniature school. Shahgulu Naggash, Validjan Tabrizi, Kamal Tabrizi and other Tabriz painters worked in Istanbul at different times, Shahgulu Naggash and Validjan Tabrizi run palace studio. Many valuable works, reminiscent of miniature style for content, artistic form and figurative expression means, were created in carpet-making, and ceramics.
Azerbaijan miniature art continued till the late XIX century. But miniatures, painted for manuscripts and books of stone print in the XVIII-XIX centuries, were simple, schematic and even primitive popular print for painting and compositions. The illustrations, painted by Avazali Mughanli for "Kalila and Dimna" (1809), by Mirza Aligulu for "Shahname" (1850), by Mir Mohsun Navvab for "Bahr ul-hazan" (1864), by Nadjafgulu Shamakhili for "Yusif and Zuleykha" (1887; these works are in the Manuscripts Institute of the Azerbaijan Republic Academy of Sciences) and for other books prove decay of classic miniature art for figurative expression means.
Rich traditions of classic miniature, its artistic style peculiarity were creatively used in the Soviet period.
Usage of classic miniature art peculiarity more expanded, painters' creative researches in painting, graphics, particularly in book illustrations resulted in successful works in the following development periods.
M.Abdullayev created some valuable works, related to classic heritage in painting, graphics, monumental painting and theatre design. Illustrations created by a painter for "Kitabi-Dada Gorgud" (1962 and 1979 editions), mosaics on the basis of works by Nizami in the Nizami station of Baku underground draw attention.