Now in its third generation, with almost 85 years of experience, Fotovat family has been engaged in the creation and trading of Persian miniature paintings since 1940. The accomplished masters at Fotovat Atelier currently create exquisite artworks under the expert supervision of Master Mostafa Fotovat.

Mostafa Fotovat is an award-winning artist and gallerist born in Persia whose entire life has been dedicated to creating, teaching and promoting Persian miniature and his artworks have been exhibited in many countries in Europe and in the United States. He learned the art from his father in the early years and developed his skills by attending courses from major masters of the time. He is currently engaged in collaborations with prestigious museums and discerning private collectors, creating exclusive pieces of illuminated manuscripts and restoring  antique museum artifacts.

Miniature painting is a term applied both to Western portrait miniatures and to the Persian, Indian and Otoman forms of manuscript painting. The origins of the term “Miniature” has nothing to do with the size although a miniature painting can be as small as the surface of a finger nail or as big as a wall panel. The name is derived from the “minium”, or red lead, used by the medieval illuminators.

Persian miniature painting represent a tradition that was continued into modern times with the most important function of book illustration. It gave a visual image to the literary plot, making it more enjoyable, and easier to understand. Miniature developed into a marriage of artistic and poetic languages and obtained a deep and sincere accordance with poetry. The subjects of early Persian miniatures included religious and historical narrative, cosmic maps, and medical, palmistry, and astrological charts, as well as illustrations to poems, songs, and romantic epics. These were generally painted in gouache on paper, with occasional gold- or silver-leaf embellishment. The linear design was first drawn with a brush in delicate contours and soft shading. Landscape and architectural detail was as well observed as in that of the principal figures.

The contemporary Persian miniature is distinctive in that it goes against the common conception of an Avant-garde. Its practitioners innovate not by rejecting what went before them but through mastering traditional skills and then moving beyond them.

The significance of craft skills makes miniature painting stand out from the other techniques of painting and since attention to the detail is very important, creating a miniature painting can be a painstaking effort with a narrow margin of error.