SIGNED MUSHKIN QALAM, QAJAR IRAN, DATED BETWEEN LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURIES

Mirza Husayn Isfahani (d. 25 Dhu'l Hijja AH 1330/6 December 1912 AD) was titled Mushkin Qalam by Nasr al-Din Shah. He was a follower of the Baha'i faith and spent most of his adult life in the Ottoman territories following the Baha'is and their spiritual leater Baha'ullah, for whom he eventually became scribe. He was active in spreading the word of Baha'ullah and spent some time in India. His signature is often: 'The servant of the gate of Baha' Mushkin Qalam'.

Mushkin Qalam wrote in many styles but is known for his large decorative calligraphic panels, particularly those in the shape of birds. Apart from numerous calligraphic panels, he copied Baha'ullah's writings, which he completed in 1892. (Mishkin Qalam, XIX Century Artist and Calligrapher (1826-1912), Darmstadt, 1992 and Mehdi Bayani, Ahval va Asar-e Khosh-Nevisan, Vol. III, Teheran 1348 sh., pp. 677-8).

These pages comprise:
1. An invocation to Baha'ullah, dated AH 1307/1889-90 AD
2. A calligraphic panel, dated AH 1301/1883-84 AD
3. A calligraphic panel, dated AH 1302/1884-85 AD
4. A calligraphic panel, unsigned and undated
5. A calligraphic panel, unsigned and undated
6. A calligraphic panel, copied in the port of Bombay in AH 1322 1904-05 AD
7. A calligraphic panel, unsigned and undated
8. A calligraphic panel, unsigned and undated
9. 2 calligraphic panels containing prayers by Baha'ullah, unsigned and undated