Mir Musavvir

(b Termez or Badakhshan, late 15th century; fl Tabriz, c. 1510-48; d India, c. 1555). Persian illustrator and painter. According to the contemporary chronicler Dust Muhammad, Mir Musavvir and AQA MIRAK were two matchless sayyids in service to the Safavid royal library who did wall paintings for the palace of Prince Sam Mirza and illustrations for royal manuscripts of Firdawsi's Shahnama ('Book of kings') and Nizami's Khamsa ('Five poems'). Manuchihr Enthroned (fol. 60v) from the monumental copy (dispersed; ex-Houghton priv. col.) of the Shahnama made for Tahmasp (reg 1524-76) is signed on a courtier's turban, and a verse couplet written in the iwan in Nushirwan and the Owls (fol. 15v) in a magnificent copy (London, BL, Or. MS. 2265) of the Khamsa, made for the Shah between 1539 and 1543, says that it was penned by Mir Musavvir in 1539-40. A portrait of the steward Sarkhan Beg (London, BM, 1930-11-12-02) is also inscribed as the work of Mir Musavvir.

See the Abbreviations for further details.