Dost-Muhammad Preface to the Bahram Mirza Album Dost-Muhammad (fl. 938-72/1531-64) of Gawashwan, a village near Herat, prepared in 951/1544 for Bahram Mirza (1517-1549), brother of the Safavid Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524- 76) and patron of the arts, an album of calligraphic specimens and paintings that is now in Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Miizesi (H.2154). In the florid preface he wrote for the album he traces the history of calligraphy, master-pupil relationships in the calligraphic art, the his- tory of painting and painters, and inventories the scribes and artists who were employed in Shah Tahmasp's studio. Dost-Muhammad's "Preface," Qazi Ahmad's Gulistan-i hunar (Garden of art) and Mustafa Ali's Manaqib-i hunarwaran (Virtues of artists) are the main sixteenth-century .sources for the history of the arts of the book.! * The noblest rescript with which the what would be until Doomsday,"? the scribes of the workshop of prayer adorn coalesced forms and dispersed shapes of the album of composition and novelty, the archetypes were hidden in the re- and the most subtle picture with which cesses of the unseen in accordance with the depictors of the gallery of intrinsic the dictum, "I was a hidden treasure." meaning decorate the assemblies of cre- Then, in accordance with the words, "I ativity and invention, is praise of the Cre- wanted to be known, so I created creation ator, by whose pen are scriven sublime in order to be known,"3 he snatched with letters and exalted forms, In accordance the fingers of destiny the veil of non-ex- with the dictum, "The pen dried up with istence from the countenance of being, and with the hand of mercy and the pen, which was "the first thing God created.l'" he painted [them] masterfully on the can- vas of being. [9a] [Praise to] the Maker IQazi Ahmad's Gulistan-i hunar has been who made the totality of human form, translated into English by Minorsky as Cal- which includes the forms and intrinsic ligraphers and Painters, Freer Gallery of Art Occasional Papers (Washington: Smithsonian, 2For the hadith, "Jaffa 'l-qalam ... ," see Ba- 1959); an edition of the Persian text, more recent di'uzzaman Furuzanfarr, Ahiidith al-mathnawi than the translation, is by Ahmad Suhayli- (Tehran: Danishgah, 1334), p. 38 (97). Khwansari (Tehran: zar, 1352); Mustafa Ali, Manaqib-i hunarwaran, ed. in Ottoman Turkish 3The well-known ~adith qudsi, "Kuntu kan- by IbniiI-Emin Mahmud KemaI. Turk Tarih zan makhfiyan... " Encumeni Kulliyati, 9 (Istanbul: Matba'a-i 4A famous "primordial" hadlth, "Awwalu rna Arnica,1926). khalaqa.," 335 336 OOST-MUHAMMAD meanings of the next world, in the work- the Pure. without [nurturing] shell. by aid shop called "he created Adam in his of the words "I am going to place on the form" on the page of creation in the most earth a vicegerent.t" emerged from the beautiful way, and cleansed from the tab- ocean of nonexistence: "For God Jesus is let of his being the dust of nonexistence like unto Adam: He created him from with the polish of favor; and in the dust and said to him. 'Bel,' and he was." heights indicated by the words. "Assume the characteristics of God." he made the Hail to the Creator who, without assistance, mirror of creation a locus of manifestation clothed being with existence by the command "Be!" for names and traces. [Praise to] the Om- Neither is his destining in need of nipotent who adorned the layers of the machination nor is his depiction dependent heavenly seven. which in inimitability in upon the pen. the manner of seven copies-nay, in or- He quickened thousands of charming forms: ganization and systematization they are neither did he use a magic incantation nor exemplars of Koranic pages-with verses did he mix colors. He clothed each one in a color, a color of of beautiful stars and the tenth and fifth of God's tincture, without hesitation. the sun and moon, and made rulings with He adorned one beautifully with mole and lines of rays. and with the white ink of down: a whole worldful [of people] fell into dawn and the vermilion of sunset placed a error on account of its beauty. prototype of the four tablets on the azure To another he gave a seditious eye that would shed blood with blood-dripping page of the celest. Sometimes [9b] he dagger [eyelashes] makes black pens from the eyelashes of Around the lips of another he drew a novel the houris and draws the tresses of beau- design, by means of which animating down ties on the face of day from the inkpot of souls were pawned. night. and sometimes he makes a pen of For yet another he innovated a fascinating sunrays and moonbeams and draws the stature, casting calamity into the heart from the world above .... shapes of beauties with the blood of If a form is not worthy of astonishment, it lovers on the canvas of loveliness. Praise is not worth a touch of the brush. God! What am I saying? Where the per- Why are you perplexed by this master fect swiftness of 'creation and destiny is. painting when you know that it is necessary what room is there for the depiction of the to amend your conduct? If conduct is not pure and charming in pen or the pen of depiction? Where the essence, what is the use of a beautiful form? workshop of creating bodies and forms [If] in life the form of right conduct has been according to the words. "and our order is lost, what use is there for humankind to but one, like the twinkling of an eye,"5 is have been given a beautiful form? too narrow for the laborers of the upper When a man is ignorant in his being, he and lower worlds. how can there be room cannot be called human simply because of his form. for the design or mixing of water and a God, I am that handful of dust that color? Jesus the Abstract. without the aid previously was void of my form and or help of the pen. was singled out by the conduct. words. "That is Jesus. son of Mary."6 Since you gave me human form first, make and in the shell of being. by the limpidity me share intrinsically in humanity. Especially he who is the final goal of the of the breeze of the words "I breathed world: the final goal of the creative fiat is into him of my breath,"? drank the water he. of life. And the pearl of existence. Adam In form he perfected Joseph's beauty; in conduct he quickens Gabriel's soul. 5Koran 54:50. 6Koran 19:34. 7Koran 15:29, 38:72. 8Koran 2:30. PREFACE TO THE BAHRAM MIRZA ALBUM 337 That perfect human, the outline of whose If Abraham was the honor of the noble-fruited tree was the first form to community, he wore the crown of divine appear from the pure light of existence on friendship because of him. If the building of the Ka 'ba was completed [lOa] the page of being, and whose sap- by [Abraham], [Muhammad] bound the ling was watered by mercy and beauty, pilgrim's garb before it was built. from each twig of which a thousand flowers of saintliness and guidance blos- Seal [of prophets] whose ring of power som, the beautiful one, in witnessing is decorated with the legend, "I was a whose beauty admirers of Joseph's prophet while Adam was between water countenance cry out alas and alack in as- and clay." From the beginning the words tonishment and perplexity. "we have given you Kawthar,' which breathe an aroma of his angelic offspring, By Joseph was much agony created, but this proclaimed the good news of his end. beauty has stirred up a different tumult Divine legislation was completed for the inhabitants of the earth by his holy chil- The chain of his musk-scented locks has dren, love for whom is incumbent upon placed shackles of the Night of Power all who have faith and certainty in the around the sun, and his God-seeing eye way of guidance, through the words, has opened the gates of paradise to his "Say I do not ask you a fee for it except community through intercession: affection in kinship," [lOb] and in ac- The eternal painter who drew that black line, cordance with the true saying, "I leave o Lord, what marvelous shapes are in his among you the people God's book and pen! my family." After paying respects to the Word of The unlettered one who has drawn, with- the omniscient necessarily existent [One], out aid of the pen, a line of abrogation it is an obligation upon each individual in through a thousand books-the unread Islam to take an immaculate handhold one who, without the assistance of pen onto the strong rope of following this and ink, has changed the laws and rules group, respect for whom is necessary, of the past through his legislation of firm especially the prides of humanity, by root and exalted branch. whom I mean the Twelve Imams, for were the hand of destiny to reopen the Through knowledge he changed the precepts gate of prophecy, it would be opened to of religions; through his own action he none other than their prophet-like beauty. made the law. He had no script apparent, but he was favored by instruction from the Preserved Praise God for such a unique group, who Tablet were signs of God's Apostle, However, on his finger he had a [fingernail] Each one a sun at the zenith of justice, each like a pen, sharpened to abrogate religions.