Foroverfiftyyears, Metin AndchampionedTurkishtheatre, traditionalperformingarts, festivitiesandthe art of Ottomanminiature in dozens of articlesand ten titles in Turkishandotherlanguages. ThelistendswithOttomanFigurativeArts I: Miniature, whichatteststoAnd'sfascinationwiththesubject.
A fundamental "art of the book" as well as a courtly art form, miniaturefavoured a highlyrealisticdepiction of daily life, humanbeings, the urban fabricandbuildings – an aspectpromotedwidely in And'swork. Miniature's main functionwasillustratingmanuscripts. As OttomanFigurativeArts I: Miniatureablydemonstrates, thetargetaudiencewaseitherthe sultan, orhigh-rankingstatesmen. Manuscriptssoillustratedwereprohibitivelycostlyworks of art, safeguarded in theTreasury, andanyillustratedmanuscriptcaptured in battlewouldhavedelightedthevictoriouscommanderand sultan equally.
An indispensablereference book, thelavishlyillustratedOttomanFigurativeArts I: Miniaturecoversthestages in thedevelopment of the art in theOttomanEmpire, an overview of thestudios, techniquesandmethods of thiscourtly art, andincludes a splendidAlbum of portraits, lives of thesultans, thepalace, festivals, literaryworks, religioustopics, landscapesandtownscapes, scientificandencyclopaedicsubjects, theworld of birds, animalsandfantasticcreatures as well as womenand men