Illumination (art) - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Simpson, Marianna Shreve
Leiden
Brill
(2,905 words)
Within the long and varied history of Islamic art , illumination ( tadhhīb , lit. "to make golden") ranks alongside calligraphy and bookbinding as a fundamental component in the production of deluxe manuscripts, both religious and secular. Comprising compositions and motifs based on geometric and vegetal designs and executed in gold and complementary colours, illumination serves the aesthetic purpose of embellishing a codex or book and the practical purpose of facilitating the reader's progress through its text. Although manuscript scholars have focused primarily on illumination in the context of Qurʾān manuscripts and