Description:

Lot 10. AN ILLUMINATED NASTAʿLĪQ QUATRAIN SIGNED ʿALĪ REŻĀ ʿABBĀSĪ
Safavid Iran, Holy Mashhad, 17th Century

Executed in ink and gold on paper, the composition is written diagonally in bold black nastaʿlīq script across a densely illuminated gold ground. The background is enriched with scrolling floral and foliate motifs picked out in cobalt blue, red, and green, interspersed with small rosettes heightened with gold. The lines of verse are balanced in sweeping, fluid strokes, demonstrating precise pen control and characteristic modulation of line width. A turquoise inner frame edged in gold encloses the panel, which is mounted on a wide buff-coloured border with a fine double-ruled gilt outline. The lower margin bears the signature of the calligrapher, identifying the work as written by ʿAlī Reżā ʿAbbāsī in the city of Mashhad.

ʿAlī Reżā ʿAbbāsī, active during the reign of Shah ʿAbbās I, is celebrated as one of the foremost masters of the nastaʿlīq script. His compositions exemplify the refinement and rhythmic grace that came to define Persian calligraphy in the Safavid period, uniting technical mastery with aesthetic harmony in service of poetic expression.



His recorded works dates between 1000 and 1027, though he is said to have still been alive in 1038/1628-29 (Bayani 1984 pp 457-61; Soucek 1985)

For comparable album pages by Ali Reza, see two pages, one in the Reza Abbasi Museum and another the Golestan Palace Library, Tehran, published in Canby 2009, nos 6 and 191.

Length x Width: 37 x 27.5cm

Folio: 26 x 19cm

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November 4, 2025 1:00 PM GMT
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