Bihzad
Kamal al-Din Bihzad, c.1450-1536, was a renowned master of Persian miniature painting. Bihzad flourished in the unique cultural environment of the court of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara (1470-1506) of Herat. About two years after the death of the Mirza, Bihzad found a new patron in Shah Ismail, who founded the Safavid dynasty of Iran and made Tabriz his capital. There Bihzad worked as the head of the imperial library, training many eminent artists. Bihzad's miniatures are noted for the expressive gestures and poses of the figures, and his arrangement of groups shows a keen understanding of spatial relationships. Touches of bright red and the frequent use of subtle tones of brown are characteristic of his paintings. The copy of the Bustan manuscript in the Egyptian Library, Cairo, bears Bihzad's signature. Also attributed to him are miniatures in Nizami's Khamsa in the British Museum, in Mir Ali Shir Nawai's Khamsa in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and in the Gulistan Palace Library, Tehran.