Lot 236 A SAFAVID ILLUMINATED NASTALIQ PANEL, PERSIA SIGNED 'ABD AL-RASHID DAYLAMI', 17TH CENTURY

Persian manuscript on paper, with 9 ll. of elegant nastaʿlīq in ochre clouds on a gold and polychrome floral illuminated ground, laid down between inner borders in gold and polychrome. Margins decorated with gilt birds, animals, and a hunting scene, as well as horses and rams, amidst a dense design of flowers and trees in a landscape. Signed in the corner by ʿAbd al-Rashid (Rashida) Daylami, also known as "Rashida" (d. 1647). Our scribe was born in Qazvin and studied calligraphy with his maternal uncle, the famed calligrapher Mir ʿImād Ḥasanī, most likely during his residence in Isfahan. After the assassination of his uncle in 1615, ʿAbd al-Rashid was given shelter by Jahangir at the Mughal court. Subsequently, he was appointed calligraphy instructor to Shah Jahan's favourite son, Dārā Shikoh. While calligraphic panels by ʿAbd al-Rashid Daylami are known in collections such as an album in the Walters Art Museum (inv. no. W.668), manuscripts in his hand are less commonly found. 27.5 × 18 cm.