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landmarks scattered all over Azerbaijan’s territory. Besides this, only a miniscule number
of illustrated manuscripts known to this day are of any importance from the standpoint
of the miniature art’s evolution. Even though in old days representatives of the crown
used to keep miniatures next to their most precious jewelry, this did not save the
miniatures from further destruction. The result is that certain periods in the history of
miniature art are rather poorly studied to this day.
Miniature art is very expensive indeed. Even the highest prices offered for miniature
art works at modern auctions fall short to match the true cost of these works for the
assets of today’s patrons of art will never came close to the glut of wealth the crowned
miniature fans used to possess. Back in those times, a combination of a number of
unique qualities was required to sustain a hub for illustrated manuscripts’ production.
This is the reason why the number of sustainable art centers with three hundred years
of history is truly miniscule. Availability of substantial funds that could be provided by
the state given a highly educated and ambitious ruler was another precondition not to
oversee. Last but not least, workshops employing high class artisans were instrumental
in sustaining this type of art. The combination of all factors mentioned above was very
infrequent, hence the periods of heyday for the miniature art were very short-lived.
Besides an extremely limited number and lack of access to the works of national
miniature art, there were some other difficulties worthwhile being hereby mentioned,
i.e. their fragmentary nature and, what is even worse, frequent cases of so called
‘
restoration’ and ‘completion’ of the miniature art works. E.g. majority of samples of
the Azerbaijani miniature works of the 14th century Tabriz school survived in the form
of scattered fragments.
For many miniature art devotees this school is particularly captivating due to its color,
shapes and impeccable composition. However, all these elements are just a part of what
the Tabriz school is famous for, as what it first and foremost appeals to is our heart
and mind. In the framework of these canonical topics and illustrations to the Oriental
poetic works it were the Azerbaijani artists who managed to pass over a broad array of
sentiments varying from pathos to hatred and from joy to tenderness. Only pathetic
and highly dramatic works by the Azerbaijani artists had the hero faces and severe
landscapes so deeply imbued with emotions.