Lahore miniature painting traditions
An AAN Collection account follows miniature painting beyond small sheets, tracing larger formats, altered wasli surfaces, sculpture and installations.
Lahore
Culture · A guide to the archive
Paint, lettering and surfaces
Explore materials and setting through miniature painting, architectural lettering, frescoes, tiles and balconies.
How to approach this subject
Choose one described surface and follow the evidence for its making, use and later alteration. Compare what an artist recalls with what a collection describes or a field study records. Keep an attributed interpretation distinct from a measured material finding, and a proposed repair distinct from documented completion. The readings offer particular cases for comparison; they do not establish one technique or history for every decorated object or building.
An intentional selection
Begin with these entries
Calligraphy in Punjab
A study of Lahore’s Maryam Zamani Mosque follows calligraphy across a mihrab frame, relief lettering and blue medallions within the decorated dome.
Lahore
Sikh fresco traditions
At Naurangabad, a study of Baba Bir Singh’s shrine identifies wall paintings of Guru Nanak, Kabir and Mata Loi alongside scenes from other narratives.
Amritsar and Naurangabad
Shrine tilework in southern Punjab
At Multan’s Musa Pak shrine, a conservation description places glazed tiles within the arches and lists tilework alongside lime finishes and fresco repairs.
Multan
Wooden balconies of old Lahore
A Bhati Gate field study records Lahore’s wooden balconies as assemblies of carved openings, louvers and balustrades, altered by paint and street use.
Lahore