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Manuscript/Mixed Material Quatrain eulogizing a king

About this Item

Title

  • Quatrain eulogizing a king

Names

  • Rukn al-Din Mas'ud al-Tabib

Created / Published

  • early 17th century

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Iran
  • -  Afghanistan
  • -  India
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Nasta'liq
  • -  Poetry

Notes

  • -  Persian quatrain eulogizing a king, written in black Nasta'liq script by the calligrapher Rukn al-Din Mas'ud al-Tabib during the 17th Cent.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 12.5 (w) x 23.5 (h) cm
  • -  In the lower left corner, the calligrapher Rukn al-Din Mas'ud al-Tabib states that he has copied the text (namaqahu) and asks God to forgive his shortcomings. Rukn al-Din was nicknamed al-Tabib ("the doctor") as he came from a long line of royal physicians and he himself held high position at the court (divan) of Shah 'Abbas I (r. 1587-1629) in Isfahan (Qadi Ahmad 1959: 169-170). However, since the ruler did not get well after a bout of illness, he requested that Rukn al-Din reimburse his salary and forced him to leave the capital city. The calligrapher headed to Mashhad (northeastern Iran), from where he then journeyed to Balkh (modern-day Afghanistan) and eventually arrived in India (Huart 1972, 221). He is known as a master of the nasta'liq style, and he may have executed this eulogistic quatrain for Shah 'Abbas I when they were on better terms.
  • -  Oh King, may the mornings of your fortune / Last until the morning of [the Day of] Gathering / May good luck take you to the utmost limit of hope / And may the evil eye not reach you
  • -  One other calligraphic sample by Rukn al-Din Mas'ud al-Tabib is held in the collections of the Library of Congress: see 1-84-154.48.
  • -  Padishahha subuh-i dawlat-i tu / Mutassil ba sabah-i mahshar bad / Bakht-i nikat bi-muntahah-yi umid / Barasanad u chasm-i bad marasad
  • -  The poet wishes a king good fortune until the end of time (literally, until the Day of Gathering [mahshar] on the Last Judgment) and eternal protection against envy (that is, the evil eye, or chasm-i bad).
  • -  This calligraphic fragment includes an iambic pentameter quatrain, or ruba'i, in honor of a king. Written diagonally in black nasta'liq script and framed by cloud bands on a rather crudely painted purple background, the verses read:
  • -  Script: nasta'liq
  • -  1-88-154.153

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 27.5 (w) x 38.7 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714671

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Rukn Al-Din Mas'Ud Al-Tabib. Quatrain Eulogizing a King. Early 17th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714671/.

APA citation style:

Rukn Al-Din Mas'Ud Al-Tabib. Quatrain Eulogizing a King. Early 17th Century. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714671/.

MLA citation style:

Rukn Al-Din Mas'Ud Al-Tabib. Quatrain Eulogizing a King. Early 17th Century. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714671/>.