these were works of science as well as fine literature the earliest surviving manuscript paintings from the Islamic period are geographical maps, diagrams and even mechanical automata. Scientific illustration also extends to scenes of doctors and scholars at work; harvesting medicinal plants, treating a patient or consulting with other sages. the frontispiece portrait usually depicts the author in the company of his patron, whose support is thus acknowledged. this relates to the late classical genre of author portraiture, carried over into the Islamic world. the author’s portrait was gradually replaced by that of his patron.
as long as their patrons could afford the expense, works of literature written in Arabic, Persian and later Turkish were also furnished with paintings: history, romantic poetry and heroic epics all provided apt subjects for illustration. Luxury copies of the classic Persian works by Firdawsi , Nizami and Sadi were made for rulers and the rich over the centuries, and Persian manuscript painting was produced to an exquisite level. the patron’s portrait in the frontispiece remained a standard part of the book and often provided an insight into the court world, showing princes, guests and entertainers with detail to their furniture, tableware and architecture.