Mir ‘Ali Haravi - calligrapher and Sangi ‘Ali Badakhshi - paper-cutter
Creator date
Mir ‘Ali Haravi (d.1556)
Where it was made
Iran
Time period
AD 16th century ~ AD 16th century
Creation date
Early 16th Century
Function
Album of calligraphy which was collected and admired.
Acquisition
The museum acquired this in 1999. It is a good addition as an example of calligraphy rendered in a medium other than ink on paper.
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Why this is a Masterpiece
A collection of masterpieces should include works by acknowledged masters. In the world of Islamic calligrapy, Mir ‘Ali Haravi was one of the best known nasta‘liq calligraphers. He was also a poet.
The calligraphy in this album is that of Mir ‘Ali. His works were much admired and collected by both Persian and Mughal emperors. Pages of his calligraphy were assembled into albums. What is extra special about this piece is that aside from the name of the calligrapher, this album also contains the name of the qati‘ or paper cutter, Sangi ‘Ali Badakhshi - a master artist in his own right. This album is a wonderful example of the collaboration between different masters and their skills.
History of the Object
The calligraphy was designed by 16th century calligrapher, Mir ‘Ali Haravi. The shape of the various letters would then have to be cut very carefully and pasted on pieces of coloured paper.
The letters are written in a script known as nasta‘liq. Nastaliq is a script which is believed to have been invented by another famous calligrapher, MIr 'Ali Tabrizi (d. 1416). Legend has it that 'Ali (Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law), appeared in his dream, telling him to study the flying geese. The round sweeping curves of the nasta'liq script reminds one of the wings of a bird. This elegant script is usually used for copying poetry and literary manuscripts.
The aim of the art of paper-cut calligraphy is that it resembles exactly the calligrapher’s handwriting. This delicate work was done by paper cutter, Sangi ‘Ali Badakhshi.
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