Jewel-like colours, precise execution and virtuoso draughtsmanship characterise the best of Persian miniature painting: the perfect realization of an ideal world. In this survey, the author provides an account of Persian painting from around 1300 to 1900. Beginning with the materials and tools which enabled the artists to achieve their effects, this book goes on to trace the stylistic development of Persian painting and the influences upon it over six centuries of Iran's turbulent history. The illustrations are drawn primarily from the rich collections of the British Museum and the British Library.