SAFAVID PERSIA, 16TH CENTURY AND MUGHAL INDIA, 18TH CENTURY

'Ali Reza-i Tabrizi, later 'Ali Reza-i Abbasi was the court calligrapher who rose to prominence under Shah Abbas. Like his rival Mir 'Imad al-Hassani, he was a pupil of Muhammad Husayn Tabrizi. In 1005/1596 he succeeded in ousting Sadiq-bek Afshar from his position as librarian to the Shah. As Mir 'Imad's fortunes declined, 'Ali Reza won greater influence with the Shah, who charged him with the inscriptions for his most important buildings.

See note to previous lot.

Another leaf from this album with identical floral borders and with calligraphy by Muhammad Dara Shikoh is illustrated in Treasures of Islam no. 145 (Falk,T. ed.: Treaures of Islam, London, 1985, p. 167)