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Illustrated portrait of Defne Akın
Specialist

Defne Akın

Defne Akın writes for the Miniature Painting department at Matchless Pieces, covering the history, makers and collecting of miniature painting.

1,015Articles
defne.akin@matchlesspieces.com
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

October 10, 2026Miniature Mask — Mesoamerica, Mexico, Olmec

Miniature Mask

October 10, 2026Mt. Biyan (Green Cliff) — Song Xu

Mt. Biyan (Green Cliff)

October 10, 2026Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album — Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Kartikeya, from a Kalighat album

October 10, 2026View of Xiao Xiang — Kenkō Shōkei

View of Xiao Xiang

October 10, 2026Calligraphy from a ghazal of Fakhr al-Din Iraqi (Persian, 1213–1289) and a verse from the Tuhfat al-ahrar (The Gift of the Free) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (verso) — Muhammad Rizavi Hindi

Calligraphy from a ghazal of Fakhr al-Din Iraqi (Persian, 1213–1289) and a verse from the Tuhfat al-ahrar (The Gift of the Free) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (verso)

October 10, 2026Miniature Metate — Anonymous, Classic Period

Miniature Metate

October 10, 2026Miniature Rhomboidal Basket — California, Pomo, 20th century (?)

Miniature Rhomboidal Basket

October 10, 2026Miniature Round Basket — Anonymous, late 19th-early 20th century

Miniature Round Basket

October 10, 2026Ghatotkacha and three demons in his company chase Bhagadatta, from Bhishma-parva (volume six) of a Razm-nama (Book of Wars) adapted from the Sanskrit Mahabharata and translated into Persian by Mir Ghiyath al-Din Ali Qazvini, known as Naqib Khan (Persian, d. 1614) — Fazl

Ghatotkacha and three demons in his company chase Bhagadatta, from Bhishma-parva (volume six) of a Razm-nama (Book of Wars) adapted from the Sanskrit Mahabharata and translated into Persian by Mir Ghiyath al-Din Ali Qazvini, known as Naqib Khan (Persian, d. 1614)

October 10, 2026

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