Gulistan by Sa‘di
The practice of copying full texts in tiny nasta‘liq script reached its apogee with Mir Imad al-Hasani. This copy of the Gulistan (Rose garden) by the poet Sa‘di was probably executed shortly before the calligrapher’s sudden death in 1615, at a time when his fame had spread from Turkey to India. The script shows an extraordinary balance between unnecessary elongated strokes and elegant sweeping horizontal ones. The small-scale script is so fluid that Mir Imad is often called the “second Mir Ali,” in reference to Mir Ali Tabrizi, the originator of nasta‘liq.
Gulistan by Sa‘di
Signed by Mir Imad al-Hasani (d. 1615)
Iran, probably Isfahan, Safavid period, ca. 1615
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Lent by the Art and History Collection LTS1995.2.86
