Calligraphie montée sur une grande page d'album (Siyah Mashq), par Abdul Rashid Daylami (Rashida), Iran, art safavide, XVIIème siècle

encre, gouache et or sur panneau cartonné, texte persan sur fond bleu, écrit en oblique, en nasta'liq, en réserve dans des nuages dentelés sur un fond or enluminé, marges mogholes couleur orange

Abdul Rashid is the scribe to whom was attributed one of the most important Shah Name of the 17th century Safavid Persia, The Windsor Shah Name circa 1648 (Nameless, Shahkarhaye Negargari-e Iran [Miniature masterpieces of Iran], Museum of Contemporary Art and Development Institute of Fine Arts, Tehran, 2005, p. 337) ; an important Shah Name leaf with calligraphy attributed to Rashida is in Tehran, Golestan Palace (inv. 2239) and published in : A. S. Melikian-Chirvani, Le chant du monde, l'Art de l'Iran safavide 1501-1736, coédition musée du Louvre/Somogy, 2007, pp. 380-1, no.139. Disciple of his uncle, the famous master of nasta'liq Mir Emad, Abdul Rashid Daylami, known as Rashida served in the Mughal court of Shah Jahan. After the assassination of Mir Emad, Abdul Rashid flew the court of Shah 'Abbas for the Mughal court. He was then appointed as calligraphy instructor to Shah Jahan's favourite son Dara Shikoh, who is considered to be one of the finest calligraphers of the Mughal royal household (A. Schimmel, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture, New York, 1984, p. 68). After twenty-three years of service at the Mughal court, Abdul Rashid requested to be released permanently from service due to ill health (M. Bayani, tadhkira-i khushnivisan: nasta'liq-nivisan, Tehran, 1967-69, p. 541, no.514). He lived most of his life at Akbarabad. A specimen of his beautiful nasta'liq is preserved in Khuda Bakhsh Library of Bankipur (Patna), (S.M. Imamuddin, Arab Writing and Arab Libraries, London, 1983, p. 21). A manuscript signed Abdul Rashid was sold at Christie's London, 7 April 2011, lot 260.