THE CALLIGRAPHY IN THE STYLE OF IKHTIYAR AL-MUNSHI, SAFAVID IRAN, DATED 9 RAMADAN AH 952/14 NOVEMBER 1545 AD; THE PAINTING NORTH INDIA, EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Khawaja Ikhtiyar al-Munshi (d. AH 974/1566-67 AD) is the most famous calligrapher of the style known as shikasteh ta'liq, which is recognized not only by the softness of its form, but also its diagonal lean. He was active in the second half of the 16th Century and signed his works 'Al-Munshi' which means secretary in Persian, this title was well chosen as for 30 years he composed the correspondences of Sultan Khudabanda, son of Shah Tahmasp, who was the Governor of Khorassan, (A.Soheyli-Khwansari (ed.), Qazi Mir Ahmad Munshi Qomi, Golestan-e honar, Tehran 1352, p. 49 and V. Minorsky, Calligraphers and Painters, A Treatise by Qadi Ahmed son of Mir-Munshi, Washington 1959, p. 91).

Another fine scribe in ta'liq script was Abu al-Ghazi Sultan Bahadur Mirza Surumiz who appears to be a Safavid prince. He signed a royal decree which appears in an album of calligraphy and which is dated AH 926 (see Marcus Fraser and Will Kwiatkowski, Ink and Gold, Islamic Calligraphy, London, 2006, cat. 41, pp.132-134).