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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy

A praise of calligraphy

AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: Muhammad Riza al-Din

CREATED/PUBLISHED
1243/1828-9

NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 10.3 (w) x 19 (h) cm

Script: nasta'liq

This calligraphic fragment includes several verses praising the practice of calligraphy. Beginning with an invocation of "God, the Great" (Allahu Akbar), the verses then read:

Qit'a nazr-i Asaf-i Jam iqtidar avarda-am / La'l u yaqut u zumurrud-ra bi-kar avarda-am / Khatt-i khush-ra bahtar az la'l u javahir gufta-and / Yak javahirkhana-ra bahr-i nisar avarda-am

I have brought a small vow (for you to be like) Asaf of Jam / I have used garnet, ruby, and emerald / They have said that beautiful handwriting is better than garnet and gems / I have brought (you) a house-full of gems as an offering

The poet describes a fragment of a vow to be similar to a fragment (qit'a) of calligraphy (khatt-i khush), and as a result this panel functions as an offering (nisar) as precious as all the gems in the world. The blue border decorated with flecks of gold serves as a visual echo to the poem's contents.

Around the border of the text panel, the calligrapher Muhammad Riza al-Din specifies that he wrote (katabahu) the verses in 1243/1828-9. He also states that the piece is written for his glory ('izz) and dignity (sharaf), if it is accepted (gar qabul aftad). Although Muhammad Riza al-Din is not known, he appears to have been a calligrapher in the nasta'liq style active in 19th-century Iran.

SUBJECT
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic manuscripts
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Arabic script calligraphy
Arabic calligraphy
Nasta'liq

MEDIUM
23.6 (w) x 36.5 (h) cm

CALL NUMBER
1-04-713.19.51

REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540

DIGITAL ID
ascs 046
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.046

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