A Fine and Large Album Page composed of four calligraphies, signed by Shah Mahmud [Al-Nishapuri], Mir Husayn Al-Husayni (known as Mir Kulangi) and Sultan Mahmud Al-Katib, Persia, Safavid, 16th century

Persian manuscript on cream papers, the leaf comprising four panels of calligraphy, 3 panels flecked with gold, 2 of them quatrains with pairs of gold roundels outlined in blue amid the text, the other two with 6 lines each, all written in fine Nasta'liq script in black ink, 2 panels with triangular corner panels decorated with interlacing flowers, 3 narrow rectangular panels between the calligraphies, decorated with gold scrolling flowers, ruled in colours and gold, laid down on an album page flecked with gold

in very good overall condition, a few extremely minor abrasions to the margin rules, otherwise good, calligraphy strong and bold, illumination bright, as viewed.
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This album page of calligraphy represents a remarkable assemblage of the work of three of the finest Persian calligraphers during the Safavid period. The exact purpose for which large album pages of calligraphy such as the present example were put together has illicited some discussion, as whilst some albums (or muraqqa') appear to have been compiled from an art-historical perspective, others may have been assembled with a specific theme in mind, for example compiling only works in the 'six scripts' or including paintings and drawings as well (see also A. Soudavar on calligraphy in the Encyclopaedia Iranica Online). What we do know however, is that the basic premise of album assemblage was to preserve and display calligraphies, paintings and drawings as collections. Furthermore, although the compiling of albums became more widespread towards the end of the sixteenth century, between 1400 and 1600, albums made up of pages such as the one at hand were essentially dependent on the patronage of royalty or eminent courtiers, and as such were available for the pleasure of a small and elite audience.

The present album page comprises four calligraphic panels in Nasta'liq script as follows:

Two panels (top and bottom): Two quatrains, one by Abu Sa'id Abi'l-Khayr and the other from the Subhat al-Abrar of Jami signed as 'Shah Mahmud'.

Shah Mahmud Nishapuri, known as Zarrin Qalam (golden pen) is a celebrated sixteenth century Nasta'liq calligrapher, who worked in the Royal scriptorium of Shah Tahmasp for years and after the king lost interest in the Library, he moved to Mashad, living close to the Shrine of the eighth Imam copying manuscripts, calligraphic pages and teaching the art of calligraphy. Numerous manuscripts and calligraphic pages by him are recorded dated between 923 AH/1517 AD and 979 AH/1572 AD (Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol.I, Teheran, 1345 sh., pp.295-307).

The panel with 6 lines of text (middle right): Three couplets from a ghazal by Jami copied in Mecca and signed as 'Sultan Mahmud al-katib' (the scribe).

Jami's three lines relate to a visit to the Ka'aba and how everything that he encountered there reminded him of his beloved.

Sultan Mahmud is mentioned as one of the pupils of 'Ali Riza, alive in 995 AH/1586-7AD when the manaqib-hunarvaran was composed. His other recorded works are: A copy of the Halnama (or guy o chwagan 'The Ball and Polo Stick') of 'Arifi dated 950 AH/1543-4 AD and a copy of selections from the Bustan of Sa'di dated 957 AH/1550 AD) recorded by Bayani, who describes him as an obscure and skilled calligrapher (ref. Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol.III, Teheran, 1348 sh., p.884).

The panel with 4 lines of text (middle left): The nada 'ali quatrain written in Medina and signed as: 'Mir Husayn al-Husayni al-Haji known as Mir Kulangi al-Bukhari'.

Mir Husayn was one of the seven pupils of the celebrated calligrapher Mir 'Ali al-Harawi and worked for many years as the librarian and the scribe at the court of the ruler of Bukhara 'Abdallah II.  He had a long working life and his recorded works are dated between 922 AH/1516-17 AD and 983 AH/1575-6 AD (ref. Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol.I, Teheran, 1345 sh., pp.164-6).

Numerous album pages of similar quality to the present example are known, including a composite page of unsigned practice exercises and two qita', (signed by Shah Mahmud Al-Nishapuri) and a composition of four calligraphies (signed by Sultan Muhammad Nur), both from Bahram Mirza's album of 1544-5 AD (assembled by Dust Muhammad), now in the Topkapi Palace Museum (H.2154, f.32b & H.2154, f.83a respectively). In both these examples the calligraphies, as with the present work, are laid down on luxurious coloured album pages, flecked with gold (see D.J. Roxburgh, The Persian Album, 1400-1600, Yale, 2005, pp.259-60, figs.137 & 139).