'Abd al-Rashid
Calligraphy from an Album with Eighteenth-Century Borders17th century with 18th century borders

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Persian calligraphic album page with nasta'liq script in black ink on gray ground, surrounded by gold-illuminated borders and naturalistic paintings of flowering branches in the margins

Illuminated manuscript page with bold Persian nastaliq calligraphy in black ink on a grey ground decorated with gold floral scrollwork and small birds. Diagonal triangular corners reveal an illuminated floral panel. Surrounded by a blue and gold border with cream vine pattern, set within wide margins painted with flowering trees.

Artist or Maker: 'Abd al-Rashid
Iran, died 1647
Title: Calligraphy from an Album with Eighteenth-Century Borders
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 17th century with 18th century borders
Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions: 13 3/16 x 8 1/4 in. (33.5 x 21.1 cm)
Credit Line: Museum Acquistion Fund, Indian Art Acquisition Fund and Julian C. Wright Bequest
Accession Number: M.83.27.1
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This folio showcases a Persian quatrain by the eleventh-century Iranian mystic Abu Sa‘id Abu’l Khayr, written on blue marbled paper in nasta‘liq, an elegant cursive script characterized by elongated curvaceous letterforms. It is signed by the renowned Iranian calligrapher ‘Abd al-Rashid Daylami, who immigrated to India and served Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628−58) as the Mughal library director and royal calligraphy tutor.

The diagonally written calligraphy is a hallmark of the chalipa format, in which text is arranged in a dynamic, four-line composition. The composition is particularly well suited for quatrains, a poetic form in which Abu Sa‘id excelled. The calligraphy is mounted on a page with eighteenth-century borders, likely painted by Muhammad Baqir, chief painter at the Afsharid court in Iran. This exemplifies the common practice of remounting calligraphy and painting in albums for aesthetic appreciation and preservation purposes. The album to which this page belonged was broken up in modern times. It once had a facing page with matching floral borders surrounding calligraphy by Mir ‘Imad Hasani, Daylami’s uncle and mentor, which would have had special meaning for the album’s intended audience.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Art Islamique, Nouveau Drouot, Paris. June 23, 1982.

'Abd al-Rashid
Calligraphy from an Album with Eighteenth-Century Borders17th century with 18th century borders

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Artist or Maker: 'Abd al-Rashid
Iran, died 1647
Title: Calligraphy from an Album with Eighteenth-Century Borders
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 17th century with 18th century borders
Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions: 13 3/16 x 8 1/4 in. (33.5 x 21.1 cm)
Credit Line: Museum Acquistion Fund, Indian Art Acquisition Fund and Julian C. Wright Bequest
Accession Number: M.83.27.1
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This folio showcases a Persian quatrain by the eleventh-century Iranian mystic Abu Sa‘id Abu’l Khayr, written on blue marbled paper in nasta‘liq, an elegant cursive script characterized by elongated curvaceous letterforms. It is signed by the renowned Iranian calligrapher ‘Abd al-Rashid Daylami, who immigrated to India and served Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628−58) as the Mughal library director and royal calligraphy tutor.

The diagonally written calligraphy is a hallmark of the chalipa format, in which text is arranged in a dynamic, four-line composition. The composition is particularly well suited for quatrains, a poetic form in which Abu Sa‘id excelled. The calligraphy is mounted on a page with eighteenth-century borders, likely painted by Muhammad Baqir, chief painter at the Afsharid court in Iran. This exemplifies the common practice of remounting calligraphy and painting in albums for aesthetic appreciation and preservation purposes. The album to which this page belonged was broken up in modern times. It once had a facing page with matching floral borders surrounding calligraphy by Mir ‘Imad Hasani, Daylami’s uncle and mentor, which would have had special meaning for the album’s intended audience.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Art Islamique, Nouveau Drouot, Paris. June 23, 1982.