263 - A calligraphic panel signed Mohammed Hosayn Shirazi known as Mishkin Qalam,

A calligraphic panel signed Mohammed Hosayn Shirazi known as Mishkin Qalam, dated 1281AH/1864AD Black ink on gold, decorated with floral sprays in blue and pink and scrolling gold vine outlined in black, signed and dated lower right, mounted, Calligraphy 19 x 25.5cm; folio 27.5 x 33.5cm. Provenance: Private UK Collection A master of calligraphy, Mishkin Qalam was also a Baha'i who lived with Baha'ullah, the Leader of the Baha'i Faith in his exile to Ottoman Palestine, near the city of Acre. 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.