Illuminated Album of Nasta'liq Calligraphy, Copied By Mir'Ali, Bukhara, Persia, Dated A.H. 950/A.D. 1543, formerly in the Royal Mughal Library of Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan

6 leaves, 3 lines per page written horizontally in fine large and small nasta'liq script within cloud bands reserved on a ground of gilt foliate motifs on blue, cream and buff paper, opening heading written within a finely illuminated panel, tooled and stamped leather binding

1. The album was written by Mir Ali at Bukhara in A.D.1543.
2. Probably entered the Mughal royal library of the emperor Akbar. A Mughal hand notes that it was seen on 8th of Bahman in the 42nd regnal year (28th January A.D.1597).
3. A librarian's note records that it was transferred to a certain Mulla Ali on 6th Ordibehesht in the 47th regnal year (27th April 1601).
4. Stated as present in the Mughal royal library, this time that of the emperor Jahangir, on the 13th of the month of Bahman in the first year of Jahangir's reign (22nd Ramadan A.H.1014/1st February A.D.1606). The note recording this information is in the hand of Jahangir himself.
5. A librarian's note records that it was transferred from a certain Mulla Salih to Chalabi on 8th Shahrivar in the 3rd regnal year (30th September A.H.1608).
6. Stated as present in the Mughal royal library of the emperor Shah Jahan on the 5th of the month of Bahman in the first year of Shah Jahan's reign (8th Jumada al-Ukhra A.H.1037/14th February A.D.1628). The note recording this information is in the hand of Shah Jahan himself.
7. A note in a Mughal hand records that it was seen on 4th Azar in the first regnal year of Shah Jahan's reign (25th November A.D.1628).
8. A note in a Mughal hand records that it was seen on 2nd Rabi' al-Awwal in the 12th year of Shah Jahan's reign (30th June A.D.1639).
9. A note records that it was seen on 4th Jumada al-Aula A.H.1192/31st May A.D.1778.

Two other inscriptions state that the calligraphy is 'the best of the best' and that its value was 2500 rupees.

There are traces of round and tear-drop shaped seal impressions on the same page. The round one probably dates from the Jahangir period, while the tear-shaped seal is that of Shah Jahan (exactly the same type of seal can be seen accompanying an inscription in Shah Jahan's hand in a manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqat dated A.D.1599-1600, sold at Bonhams, London, 26th April 1995, lot 400). There is also a later (probably 18th century) square librarian's seal.

International Exhibition of Persian Art, Burlington House, London, 1931

This album of fine calligraphy is interesting not only for its quality and the signature of the master Mir Ali, but also for the notes written on the opening blank page by the Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan recording the dates on which they examined the pages in their royal libraries.

Mir Ali was one of the master calligraphers of the first half of the sixteenth century and is considered to be one of the greatest exponents of the nasta'liq script ever to have lived. He studied under Zayn al-Din Mahmud and Sultan Ali al-Mashhadi. He worked at Herat until 1528, when he was taken by the Uzbek warlord Ubayd Allah Khan to Bukhara, where he stayed until his death. The year of his death has not been established, but different sources mention 1533, 1544 and 1558 (the first being manifestly wrong since the current work is dated 1543). He was highly esteemed in his own day and Qadi Ahmad tells us that he 'carried off...the ball of pre-eminence and superiority, for in laying down the foundations of nasta'liq he was the initiator of new rules and of a praiseworthy canon' (Minorsky 1959, p.126, see also pp.126-31).

In generally good condition, some worming mostly restricted to margins, some restoration largely to margins, small tears and losses to extremities, binding restored
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