Six calligraphic album pages in shikasteh, including two attributed to 'Abd al-Majid Taliqani, known as Darvish, Persia, 18th-19th Century

Persian manuscript on paper, each composition written in shikasteh in black ink diagonally and horizontally within cloudbands on a gold ground, coloured paper borders, all mounted and framed together
the largest 230 x 135 mm.; frame 37.5 x 120.5 cm.

Provenance
The estate of a distinguished Iranian academic, California, USA.

The compositions are as follows (listed left to right as framed):

1.Twelve lines of text written diagonally in fine shikasteh, no scribe or date. 215 x 155 mm.

2. Twelve lines of text written diagonally in fine shikasteh, with the inscription 'Copied on Sunday evening'. 222 x 135 mm.

3. Three couplets on a blue ground, signed 'Abd al-Majid [Taliqani], known as Darvish. He was the most accomplished scribe of shikasteh, and a poet with the pen-names Khamush and Darvish. His recorded works are dated between AH 1170/AD 1756-57 and AH 1185/AD 1771-72, the year he died. (See Mehdi Bayani, ahval va Asar-e Khosh-Nevisan, vol. IV, Tehran 1348 sh., pp. 252-54). It is possible that this is a 19th Century copy of his work. 140 x 183 mm.

4. Seven lines of text, written diagonally in fine shikasteh, copied for Aqa Muhammad Mahdi Bika by 'Abd al-Majid Taliqani, known as Darvish, in AH 1180/AD 1766-67. As noted above, there are 19th century copies of 'Abd al-Majid's writings sometimes with an 18th Century date: this one appears to be original. 197 x 140 mm.

5. Twelve lines of text, written diagonally in fine shikasteh, with the inscription 'Copied on Thursday evening of the month of Jumadi II'. 227 x 130 mm.

6. Fourteen lines of text, written diagonally in fine shikasteh in the style of 'Abd al-Majid Taliqani, with the inscription 'It was copied in the house of [...] in the month of dhi'l-hajjah'. 205 x 145 mm.

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