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Jami's "Nafahat al-Uns"
This calligraphic fragment includes a section from a hagiographical work by Jami (died 1492) entitled Nafahat al-Uns (Lives of the saints), in which the lives of a number of Sufi saints are described....
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Two Textual Excerpts
This calligraphic fragment includes two separate and unrelated texts written diagonally in black Indian nastaʻliq script on beige paper. The lines of the texts are separated visually by strokes in red...
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Verses on Tragic Love from Nizami's "Khamsah"
This calligraphic fragment includes three bayts (verses) of poetry that use the tragic love story of Laylah and Majnun, from the third book of Nizami’s epic Khamsah (Quintet), to describe the magic...
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Quatrain of Kamal al-Din Ismaʻil
This calligraphic fragment includes a rubaʻi (iambic pentameter quatrain) written by the famous ʻirfani (mystical) poet Shaykh Kamal al-Din Ismaʻil al-Isfahani (circa 1172−1237). The author’s name...
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The Div Akvan throws Rustam into the Sea from Firdawsi's "Shahnamah"
This painting represents an episode described in the Shahnamah (The book of kings), the epic story of ancient kings and heroes of Persia composed by the renowned poet Firdawsi during the first decades...
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"ʻAqd-namah" Marriage Decree
This superb document consists of a legally-binding ʻaqd-namah (marriage contract) written in Persia (Iran) in 1219 AH (1804−5). Like other Persian marriage contracts of the 19th century, the document...
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Quatrain by Rumi
This calligraphic piece includes a rubaʻi (iambic pentameter quatrain) composed by the Persian poet Rumi (1207−73). Written diagonally in black nastaʻliq script on a white-and-blue marbled paper, the...
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Inshaʼ
This calligraphic fragment belongs to a series of 22 inshaʼ (literary compositions or letters) written by calligraphers named Mir Kalan, Khan Zaman (son of Khan Khanan), Qaʼim Khan, Lutfallah Khan,...
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Section of Mirkhwand's "Rawzat al-Safa'"
This fragment includes a section of the Rawzat al-Safaʼ (The garden of purity), a Persian historical encyclopedia composed by the prolific Timurid author Mirkhwand (Muhammad ibn Khavandshah Mir...
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Invocation of ʻAli
This calligraphic fragment includes a duʻaʼ (invocation) to ʻAli, the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, in the central text panel. Written in black nastaʻliq script on a beige paper decorated with...
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"Muraqqaʻ" (Album) of Poetical Excerpts
This calligraphic sample from a muraqqaʻ (album) of calligraphies includes poetical verses composed by the poets Zahir Faryabi (died 1201 or 1202), Shaykh Abu al-Fayz ibn Mubarak Fayzi (known as...
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Persian Royal Order Granted to James L. Merrick
This Persian firman (royal decree) grants the Reverend James Lyman Merrick the right to establish a school in the city of Tabriz in northwestern Persia (Iran). The decree was issued by Shahzadah...
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Two Lovers Lost at Sea from Saʻdi's "Bustan"
This calligraphic fragment includes, in the main text panel, four verses from Saʻdi’s Bustan (The fruit garden), in which he succinctly describes the tragic story of two lovers who fall into a...
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Moral Lessons Through Bird Stories
This calligraphic fragment includes verses providing two separate stories, in which the protagonists are birds. The first narrative describes two falcons in the desert talking about whether to join...
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The Battle of Mazandaran from "Hamzahnamah"
This large-scale painting depicts the Battle of Mazandaran, an event in the Persian romance of the mythical adventures and battles of Amir Hamzah, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, recorded in the...
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Quatrain on True Knowledge
This calligraphic fragment provides a rubaʻi (iambic pentameter quatrain) written in black nastaʻliq script. The text is outlined in cloud bands filled with blue and placed on a gold background. In...
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Inshaʼ
This calligraphic fragment belongs to a series of 22 inshaʼ (literary compositions or letters) written by calligraphers named Mir Kalan, Khan Zaman (son of Khan Khanan), Qaʼim Khan, Lutfallah Khan,...
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Rubaʻis by Hafiz
This calligraphic fragment includes three rubaʻiyat (iambic pentameter quatrains) arranged in corresponding vertical and horizontal panels. The verses written diagonally in the upper-right corner...
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Quatrain on Unity of Lovers
This calligraphic fragment includes a rubaʻi (iambic pentameter quatrain) on the primordial nature of a lover’s affection. Beginning with an invocation to Huwa al-ʻaziz (God, the Glorious), the verses...
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Excerpt from Saʻdi's "Gulistan"
This beautiful calligraphic fragment includes an excerpt from Gulistan (The rose garden), in which the author offers nasihat (advice) about each man's necessities. For example, a vazir (vizier or...
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