16 Unbelievably Elaborate Indian Miniature Paintings

Indian miniature painting is one of the world’s most impressive artistic disciplines. As the name suggests, it involves painting images onto implausibly tiny canvases, often no larger than a few centimetres in width and height. If you’ve never seen a miniature painting before, you’ll be stunned by the level of detail involved. Individual leaves on trees and hairs on human heads are clearly defined on paintings no larger than train tickets.

Although the style was “invented” between the 11th and 12th centuries, when artists illustrated religious palm leaf manuscripts with miniature paintings, it wasn’t until the rise of the Mughal Empire (16th-19th century) that the miniature style really came to the fore. Akbar the Great, Mughal Emperor from 1542 to 1605, brought together more than 100 artists to form the Mughal School of Miniature Painting, responsible for many of India’s greatest miniature masterpieces.

Miniature painting is still alive and well throughout much of India today, particularly in Rajasthan, where many miniature painting schools (often combined with gift shops for tourists) continue to operate. Anyone considering a life as a miniature painter should think carefully however. Training starts at a young age, for as middle age looms, the 20-20 vision and steady hand necessary, start to deteriorate. It takes years of practise, dedication to a strict technique and, perhaps worst of all, abstinence from all stimulants, including caffeine!

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