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Lot Essay
Ahmad al-Nayrizi (fl.1676-1740) was born in the town of Nayriz in Fars, from where undertook his calligraphic training primarily under the naskh master Aqa Ibrahim Qumi (fl.1659-1707). Later, in Isfahan, Nayrizi came to the attention of Shah Sultan Husayn (r.1694-1722) who became an important patron and by whom Nayrizi was given the honorific surname Sultani. He has been credited with the codification and development of a distinctly Iranian naskh that became the standard hand for religious texts throughout the 19th century. He also signed a qur’anic inscription in the Chihil Sutun palace in Isfahan, dated AH 1127 ⁄ 1715 AD.
Combining strength with elegance, the hand of Ahmad al-Nayrizi (fl.1676-1740) is 'a confident one, characterized by exceptionally well-formed letters. Its most striking features are its relatively large size and the wide spacing of the lines of text' (Nabil Safwat, The Art of the Pen, The Nasser D. Collection of Islamic Art, London, 1996, p.212), as well as the prominence given to the vocalisation (Sheila Blair, Islamic Calligraphy, Edinburgh, 2008, pp.224-5). A prayer book copied by Nayrizi is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, (2003.239, Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, no.191, pp.272-274). Nayrizi’s later fame is attested by the vast collecting of his work and the frequent refurbishing of the Qur’ans he wrote, such one for Governor of Khorasan, Hamza Mirza Hishmat al-Dawla (d. 1880), sold in these Rooms, 1 May 2025, lot 54. Other works with the signature of Nayrizi were sold in these Rooms, see 6 October 2009, lot 134; 27 April 2023, lot 40; 30 October 2025, lot 37; 30 Apr 2026, lots 75 and 76.
Combining strength with elegance, the hand of Ahmad al-Nayrizi (fl.1676-1740) is 'a confident one, characterized by exceptionally well-formed letters. Its most striking features are its relatively large size and the wide spacing of the lines of text' (Nabil Safwat, The Art of the Pen, The Nasser D. Collection of Islamic Art, London, 1996, p.212), as well as the prominence given to the vocalisation (Sheila Blair, Islamic Calligraphy, Edinburgh, 2008, pp.224-5). A prayer book copied by Nayrizi is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, (2003.239, Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, no.191, pp.272-274). Nayrizi’s later fame is attested by the vast collecting of his work and the frequent refurbishing of the Qur’ans he wrote, such one for Governor of Khorasan, Hamza Mirza Hishmat al-Dawla (d. 1880), sold in these Rooms, 1 May 2025, lot 54. Other works with the signature of Nayrizi were sold in these Rooms, see 6 October 2009, lot 134; 27 April 2023, lot 40; 30 October 2025, lot 37; 30 Apr 2026, lots 75 and 76.