THE PAINTING ISFAHAN, 17TH CENTURY; THE CALLIGRAPHY SIGNED MAILK DAYLAMI, SAFAVID IRAN, 16TH CENTURY

Details

A PRINCE VISITING A DERVISH AND A NASTA’LIQ QUATRAIN

THE PAINTING ISFAHAN, 17TH CENTURY; THE CALLIGRAPHY SIGNED MAILK DAYLAMI, SAFAVID IRAN, 16TH CENTURY
Recto with opaque pigments heightened with gold depicting a young prince kneeling before a dervish who sits in a cave, before them a large cauldron is heated, nasta’liq panels above and below, on wide green margins decorated with gold vine, verso with a nasta’liq quatrain in black on a blue marbled ground, the text the Nada 'Ali prayer, signature of Malik al-Daylami in the lower left hand corner, within minor coloured borders on gold-speckled pink margins
Painting 5 3/8 x 3 ½in. (13.6 x 9.2cm.); calligraphy 8 1/8 x 4 ¼in. (20.5 x 10.8cm.); folio 11 3/8 x 6 7/8in. (29 x 17.6cm.)

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Lot Essay

The painting depicted on this folio is in the style of Reza ‘Abbasi. In particular, the facial features of the bearded men bear close resemblance to Reza’s numerous dervish drawings. For further examples see Sheila Canby, The Rebellious Reformer, 1987, pp.74-83.
Malik Daylami (AH 924-969/1518-1562 AD) was a famous nasta'liq scribe who originally worked at the library of Sultan Ibrahim Mirza in Mashhad, but was called by Shah Tahmasp to Qazvin to write the inscriptions of the Chehel Sutun. He then remained at his court until his death. The famous Shah Tahmasp album in the Topkapi was produced under his supervision (Mehdi Bayani, Ahval va Asar-e Khosh-Nevisan, Vol. III, Teheran 1348 sh., pp. 598-609).

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