World Seyid Ali

Mir Seyid Ali was born in the family of the famous artist Mir Musavvir , and belonged to the Seyyids , that is, to the direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad . Chronicler Kazi Ahmed reports that his son was more talented than his father, but Mir Musavvir’s influence still affected his son’s work. The artist’s creative career began at a blessed time when the celebrated Behzad (d. 1535-6) was in charge of the affairs of the Persian state. Modern scholars suggest that even at a young age, Mir Seyid Ali took part in illustrating the famous list of “ Shahnameh ” created in 1525–35 for Shah Tahmasp I (1514-1576). The manuscript was at one time embroidered, and individual sheets from it were distributed in various museums and collections. Two miniatures are attributed to Seyid Ali’s hand, as well as participation in joint work with Sultan Muhammad and Aga Mirek .

The next step was his participation in the creation of illustrations for the no less famous Hamsa manuscript by Nizami , created by the best artists of the Shah kitabhane in 1539-43 by order of Shah Tahmasp (British Library, London). Of the 14 miniatures, four are attributed to his brush, and among them is "Leila and Majnun", on which is the signature of the artist. Two more remarkable works by the master belong to this period, the 1540s : a drawing depicting an elegant young man holding an open letter ( Freer Gallery , Washington ; a number of researchers believe that there is good reason to consider this work a self-portrait of the artist), and diptych (double frontispiece) to the Hamsa of Nizami, on one sheet of which is “Nomad Camp”, on the other is “Evening Life of the Palace” (both are kept in Cambridge, Harvard Museums).

Probably, Mir Seyid Ali’s successful career at the court of Shah Tahmasp would have continued further if decisive changes had not occurred in his life. From the 1540s, Shah Tahmasp I became more and more religious; by the 1550s, his religiosity grew into a rejection of secular manifestations in life. He lost his previous interest in book miniatures, and in the end issued a decree banning secular images throughout the Persian kingdom . The artists of his kitabhane during this period went somewhere, most of them took refuge at the court of the nephew of Shah Tahmasp, Sultan Ibrahim Mirza . In the meantime, the Mughal emperor Humayun, after unsuccessful battles with Sher Shah, lost his throne, and in 1543 arrived in Persia, where Shah Tahmasp gave him a warm welcome and the highest protection. Countless feasts followed, at which Tahmasp persuaded the Sunni Humayun to go over to the Shiite faith. While Khumayun was visiting Tabriz , he met the artists of the Shah Kitabhane , was fascinated by their works, and invited two of them to his service, wanting to create a library-workshop similar to Tabriz. These artists were Abd as Samad and Mir Musavvir . However, for some reason, instead of Mir Musavvir, his son Mir Seyid Ali went to serve Khumayun. These two artists - Mir Seyid Ali and Abd as Samad - became the founders of another, but completely independent, branch of Persian painting - the Mughal school of painting .

Humayun did not immediately regain his possessions in Hindustan . While many years of battles were fought, his court was in Kabul . Mir Seyid Ali arrived there in 1549, lived and worked there until in the summer of 1555, the army of Humayun defeated the superior troops of Sikandar Shah Suri in battle. Delhi's gates were open, and Humayun returned his father's throne. Very few works are today attributed to the Kabul period of the artist’s life, and among them is “Portrait of the Young Scribe” (c. 1550, Los Angeles County Museum of Art ). The world of Seyid Ali is considered a master of the portrait genre, however, Persian portraits were largely conditional and idealized in nature, which significantly differed from the Mughal portrait, which was much more naturalistic. Nevertheless, “Portrait of a Young Scribe” belongs to the best Persian portrait miniatures. Specialists from the Los Angeles Museum believe that this is a self-portrait of the artist.

Emperor Humayun did not enjoy life in Delhi for long: six months after his accession, the emperor died in an accident in his original capital. Ironically, he fell from the stairs of his kitabhana , and died three days later, on January 24, 1556. He was succeeded by Akbar I , who was an even more passionate lover of book miniatures than his father. The world Seyid Ali, along with Abd al-Samad, from childhood taught the future padishah the art of drawing, and a warm relationship was established between them. Seyid Ali headed the imperial kitabhana , and under his leadership one of the most pretentious book projects in world history began to be realized - “ Hamzaname ” (The story of Amir Hamza, uncle of the Prophet Muhammad ). The order, which was carried out from 1562 to 1577, was made by the emperor Akbar, and being started under the leadership of Mir Seyid Ali, was completed under the leadership of Abd al-Samad. The book was divided into fourteen volumes, each of which contained one hundred illustrations; in total - 1400 miniatures. About 140 miniatures of this work have survived to this day, which are scattered in various museums and collections of the world.

In all likelihood, both chiefs of the imperial kitabhane took a direct part in illustrating this grandiose project only from time to time, carrying out mainly general management, so their presence on the pages of the book is not numerous. One of the most remarkable works in this manuscript is the miniature “Elijah the Prophet Saves the Sinking Nur ad-Dahr”, which is attributed to the hand of Mir Seyed Ali (British Museum, London). Along with the portrait of his father, Mir Musavvir (1565-1570, Guimet Museum, Paris), and the drawing "The Sage Meditating on a Book" (1570-80, Paris, Guimet Museum), this miniature demonstrates the features of the late work of the master.

The world of Seyid Ali remained faithful to the Persian tradition to the end, and in Kitabhana, Padishah Akbar, where an international team of artists worked, defended the principles of Persian painting . In his works, you can see the influence of his father Mir Musavvir , as well as Sultan Muhammad . His work, he earned numerous praises and awards. The vizier of Emperor Akbar I, Abu l Fazl , in his History of Akbar ( Akbarnam ) speaks of him in the most enthusiastic way. In the list of the best artists of the Akbar era (Abu l Fazl counted more than one hundred), he puts the World of Seyid Ali from Tabriz in the first place, and reports the following: “He learned his art from his father. From the moment he got into the palace, a ray of royal favor was shining over him. He himself glorified himself with his art ... " Emperor Humayun considered Mir Seyid Ali one of the wonders of his kingdom, and awarded him the honorary title of Nadir ul-Mulk (Miracle of the kingdom).

Seven years after the start of the Hamzaname project, that is, approximately in 1569, the artist left the Mughal court, and, as an Orthodox Muslim, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca . Some scholars of his work believe that he died during the Hajj , others believe that he returned to Akbar’s court and died only in the 1580s. The history of accurate information about this has not been reported.

Mir Seyid Ali was an outstanding artist who stood at the origins of the wonderful Mughal miniature, in fact, its founding father.

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  Mir Seyid Ali, Camel and drover, drawing, Tabriz, approx. 1535, Fogg Museum of Art, Cambridge

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  World Seyid Ali. Prince and Page. Silk painting, Tabriz, c. 1540, British Museum, London

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  World Seyid Ali. School scene. Tabriz, c. 1540, Freer Gallery, Washington

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  World Seyid Ali. Ilya - the prophet saves the drowning Nur ad-Dahr. Thumbnail from Hamzaname. OK. 1570 year. British Museum, London

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  Mir Seyid Ali, Mahiya frees Zambur by killing the guards. Hamzaname, approx. 1570, Harvard Museum of Art, Cambridge

• Tabriz miniature school

• Amina Okada. Indian Miniatures Of The Mughal Court. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, NY. 1992, pp. 68–75
• Dr. M. Abdulla Chaghatai. Mir Sayyid Ali Tabrezi. Publisher: Lahore: Kitab khana-i-nauras, 1955.
• Dickson MB / Welch SC The Houghton Shahnameh. vol. 1-2, Cambridge, Mass. 1981.

• Muslim life in the mirror of miniatures Mir Seyid Ali