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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy

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Eulogy to a ruler

AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: Kamal al-Din (Ikhtiyar al-Munshi)

CREATED/PUBLISHED
ca. 1500-1550

NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 14 (w) x 24.5 (h) cm

Script: various

This calligraphic fragment includes a central panel with an eulogistic composition (insha') to a king written in the "hanging" ta'liq script. Except for one line written in black ink, all other horizontal and diagonal lines are written in white and outlined in black ink. Above the text panel appears a bayt (verse) divided into two columns about the power of miracles (mu'jizat) composed by the great Persian poet Nizami (d. 614/1218). The bayt is written in black nasta'liq script on beige paper. All around the text panel appears a blue border inscribed with Arabic prayers (du'as) written in black ta'liq script. The entirety of the composition is pasted to a large beige paper decorated with gold flecks and backed by cardboard.

In the lower right corner of the central text panel appears the calligrapher's signature in black ink. It reads: mashaqahu al-faqir al-haqir ikhtiyar al-munshi, or "written by the poor, lowly, elderly secretary." Ikhtiyar al-Munshi ("the Elderly Secretary") was the nickname (laqab) of Kamal al-Din Husayn (d. 974/1566-7), a calligrapher active during the reign of the Safavid ruler, Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-76). The monarch supported his work in Tabriz and offered him a number of rewards, which Kamal al-Din refused. He also made him his personal secretary and bestowed upon him the honorific epithet "the Elderly, Royal Secretary" (Ikhtiyar al-Munshi al-Sultani). Even though he was blind in one eye, he was a master of all calligraphic scripts, especially nasta'liq (Huart 1972, 232). Judging from this specimen -- as well as others in the Library of Congress (1-87-154.157) and the Sackler Gallery of Art (29.63 and 29.64) -- he also was a master of ta'liq and tarassul.

He was a contemporary of Shah Mahmud al-Nishapuri, one of whose works is held in the collections of the Library of Congresss (1-87-154.155).

SUBJECT
Arabic calligraphy
Arabic script calligraphy
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic manuscripts

MEDIUM
23.2 (w) x 35 (h) cm

CALL NUMBER
1-04-713.19.36

REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540

DIGITAL ID
ascs 029
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.029

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