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Lot Essay
Mirza Husayn Isfahani (1826-1912 AD) was titled Mishkin Qalam ('The Musk-scented Pen') by Nasir al-Din Shah. He was a follower of the Baha'i faith and spent most of his adult life in the Ottoman territories following the Baha'is and their spiritual leader Baha'ullah, for whom he eventually became scribe. Although stemming from the 19th century Babism movement and the main Shi'a branch of Islam, Baha’í Faith has gained a wide recognition as an independent religion advocating the oneness of humanity under a single god, guided by the teachings of Baha’ullah (‘Glory of God’).
Mishkin Qalam was active in spreading the word of Baha'ullah, particularly in Constantinople. He first met Baha'ullah in Edirne but was imprisoned in Constantinople at the request of the Persian Ambassador to the Porte. Mishkin Qalam was exiled to Cyprus by the Ottomans and imprisoned in the fortress of Maghusa between 1868 and 1877 where he copied a number of works, including one dated AH 1294 which sold at Christie’s, London, 8 April 2008, lot 244. After the liberation of the island by the British in 1878, Mishkin Qalam served as Persian secretary until 1885-86. He joined Baha’ullah who had been exiled to Acre. After Baha’ullah’s death in 1892, Mishkin Qalam travelled to Syria, Egypt and India. He came back from India to Haifa in 1905 where he stayed until his death in 1912.
Mishkin Qalam wrote in many styles but is known for his large decorative calligraphic panels, particularly those in the form of birds. Apart from these numerous calligraphic panels, he also copied Baha'ullah's writings, which he completed in 1892. (A. Schimmel, Mishkin Qalam, XIX Century Artist and Calligrapher (1826-1912), Darmstadt, 1992 and Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, Vol. III, Teheran 1348 sh., pp. 677-8).
When Mirza Muhammad Husayn Mishkin Qalam died in 1912, he was a greatly admired calligrapher throughout the Near East. Abdul’ Baha, Baha’ullah’s eldest son, called him ‘The Second Mir ‘Imad’ after the celebrated 16th century master.
The British Orientalist Edward Granville Browne, who met Baha'ullah himself, speaks of Mishkin Qalam as follows:
"Mishkin Kalam's skill in calligraphy is a matter of notoriety amongst the Babis, and his writing is, indeed, very beautiful. Especially curious were some of his productions, in which the writing was so arranged as to take the form of a bird (Khatt-i-murghi). [..] these would be eagerly sought after by Persians of all classes, were it not that they all bore, as the signature of the penman, the following verse:
Lord of calligraphy, my banner goes before;
But to Baha'u'llah, a bondsman at the door,
Naught else I am, Mishkín-Qalam'
As it was, the sale of these works of art was limited entirely to the Babi community". E. G. Browne, A year among the Persians, Cambridge, 1923, p.227.
Mishkin Qalam was active in spreading the word of Baha'ullah, particularly in Constantinople. He first met Baha'ullah in Edirne but was imprisoned in Constantinople at the request of the Persian Ambassador to the Porte. Mishkin Qalam was exiled to Cyprus by the Ottomans and imprisoned in the fortress of Maghusa between 1868 and 1877 where he copied a number of works, including one dated AH 1294 which sold at Christie’s, London, 8 April 2008, lot 244. After the liberation of the island by the British in 1878, Mishkin Qalam served as Persian secretary until 1885-86. He joined Baha’ullah who had been exiled to Acre. After Baha’ullah’s death in 1892, Mishkin Qalam travelled to Syria, Egypt and India. He came back from India to Haifa in 1905 where he stayed until his death in 1912.
Mishkin Qalam wrote in many styles but is known for his large decorative calligraphic panels, particularly those in the form of birds. Apart from these numerous calligraphic panels, he also copied Baha'ullah's writings, which he completed in 1892. (A. Schimmel, Mishkin Qalam, XIX Century Artist and Calligrapher (1826-1912), Darmstadt, 1992 and Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, Vol. III, Teheran 1348 sh., pp. 677-8).
When Mirza Muhammad Husayn Mishkin Qalam died in 1912, he was a greatly admired calligrapher throughout the Near East. Abdul’ Baha, Baha’ullah’s eldest son, called him ‘The Second Mir ‘Imad’ after the celebrated 16th century master.
The British Orientalist Edward Granville Browne, who met Baha'ullah himself, speaks of Mishkin Qalam as follows:
"Mishkin Kalam's skill in calligraphy is a matter of notoriety amongst the Babis, and his writing is, indeed, very beautiful. Especially curious were some of his productions, in which the writing was so arranged as to take the form of a bird (Khatt-i-murghi). [..] these would be eagerly sought after by Persians of all classes, were it not that they all bore, as the signature of the penman, the following verse:
Lord of calligraphy, my banner goes before;
But to Baha'u'llah, a bondsman at the door,
Naught else I am, Mishkín-Qalam'
As it was, the sale of these works of art was limited entirely to the Babi community". E. G. Browne, A year among the Persians, Cambridge, 1923, p.227.