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Lot Essay
Ahmed Nayrizi (fl. 1682-1722 AD) was born in the town of Nayriz in Fars. His primary master in naskh was Muhammad Ibrahim bin Muhammad Nasir Qumi, known as Aqa Ibrahim Qumi (fl.1659-1707 AD). In the late 17th century Nayrizi settled in Isfahan where he came to the attention of Shah Sultan Husayn (r.1694-1722 AD) who became an important patron and by whom Nayrizi was given the honorific surname Sultani. He produced work for royal patrons for almost two decades.
Combining strength with elegance, Nayrizi's hand, as described by Raby, 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. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London, 1996, p.212). It is with Ahmed Nayrizi that we find the development of a distinctly Iranian naskh that went on to be used as the standard Qur'anic hand throughout the 19th century. A prayer book copied by Nayrizi is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv.2003.239, illustrated in Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, no.191, pp.272-274).
Another Qur’an signed by Ahmed al-Nayrizi dated two years before our copy was sold in these Rooms, 4 October 2012, lot 28. According to the colophon, our copy the 53rd which Nayrizi’s copied. It was produced in the same year that the scribe passed away, and it is thus probable that it was one of the last copies that this famous scribe completed in his lifetime. For another manuscript in this sale copied by al-Nayrizi see lot 16.
Combining strength with elegance, Nayrizi's hand, as described by Raby, 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. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London, 1996, p.212). It is with Ahmed Nayrizi that we find the development of a distinctly Iranian naskh that went on to be used as the standard Qur'anic hand throughout the 19th century. A prayer book copied by Nayrizi is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv.2003.239, illustrated in Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2011, no.191, pp.272-274).
Another Qur’an signed by Ahmed al-Nayrizi dated two years before our copy was sold in these Rooms, 4 October 2012, lot 28. According to the colophon, our copy the 53rd which Nayrizi’s copied. It was produced in the same year that the scribe passed away, and it is thus probable that it was one of the last copies that this famous scribe completed in his lifetime. For another manuscript in this sale copied by al-Nayrizi see lot 16.