Firman of Muhammad Shah Qajar

Unknown

dated A.H. 1250/ 1835 CE · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

In addition to being a historic document with an important message, firmans, or royal edicts, like this one are also stunning works of art in their own right. This edict contains eight lines of text—all crowned by the seal of Muhammad Shah Qajar (third ruler of the Qajar dynasty, r. 1834–48). It is a response to a letter addressed to Mirza Husain Khan, the governor of Na’in (region in central Iran). An interesting feature of the text is that the words at the end of each line are stacked. Although this may have been due to a lack of space, it was more likely an aesthetic choice made by the calligrapher.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated A.H. 1250/ 1835 CE

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Layla S. Diba, in memory of Mahmood T. Diba, 2013