Maker/Artist
Bihzad
Persian painter, calligrapher, ca. 1450-1535/1536
Bihzad is often considered the most famous figure in Iranian painting. Khwandamir praised Bihzad in his book, Habib al-siyar (Beloved of careers, 1524) for his style that is firmly based on linear precision and compositional balance. Before moving to the Safavid court in Tabrīz, he may have worked for Muhammad Shaybani (reigned 1500-1510) from 1507 to 1510. Bihzad may also have been the head of the royal manuscript workshop during the rule of Ismail I (reigned 1501-1524). Reliable evidence also suggests that Bihzad was the court painter of Tahmasp (reigned 1524-1576). Well-known Safavid authors, Dust Muhammad, Qazi Ahmad, and Iskandar Munshi confirm this in various texts. Only four illustrations in a copy of Sa'di's Bustan (Orchard), produced for the library of Husayn Bayqara, are widely accepted as his work. Two major paintings attributed to him are Roundel Depicting A Youth (ca. 1524) and a Folio in Gulistan Palace, Tehrān.
