A calligraphic composition in thuluth script, Persia or Turkey, Safavid or Ottoman, 16th century

ink, gold and gouache on paper, two interlocking lines of thuluth script in gold and blue ink within a cloud reserved against a gold and polychrome illuminated ground, a panel below bearing the name Yari, within cream borders and mauve margins, laid down on card

text panel 11.5 by 18.7cm.

leaf 17 by 27cm.

Calligraphers experimented with and developed techniques of integrating scripts into compositions that were intended to be mounted separately and often compiled into albums. Compositions ranged from animals and birds to verbal and visual riddles and puns. In this example, in gold is written the phrase huwa al-ghafur dhu’l-rahmat (God in the most forgiving, full of mercy). The response to the phrase is intertwined in blue, tawaaltu bi’l maghfirat al-muhayman (I put my trust in the forgiveness of the Protector). A calligraphic album page with an identical calligraphic composition is in the Istanbul University Library, and is signed by Zayn al-Din Mahmud, a student of renowned calligrapher Sultan ‘Ali Mashhadi.