SIGNED AHMAD AL-NAYRIZI (FL.1682-1722), DATED JUMADA II AH 1129/MAY-JUNE 1717 AD

Ahmad al-Nayrizi (fl.1676-1740) was born in the town of Nayriz in Fars, from where undertook his calligraphic training primarily under the naskh master Aqa Ibrahim Qumi (fl.1659-1707). Later, in Isfahan, Nayrizi and came to the attention of Shah Sultan Husayn (r.1694-1722) who became an important patron and by whom Nayrizi was given the honorific surname Sultani. He has been credited with the codification and development of a distinctly Iranian naskh that became the standard hand for religious texts throughout the 19th century. He also signed a Qur’anic inscription in the Chihil Sutun palace in Isfahan, dated AH 1127⁄1715 AD. For more information on Nayrizi and his hand, see the following lot.