Bihzad was a Persian miniature painter active at the courts of Herat and later Tabriz, widely regarded as the greatest master of the Persian manuscript painting tradition. Working chiefly as head of the royal workshop under the Timurid ruler Husayn Bayqara and later the Safavid court, he illustrated manuscripts of major Persian literary works, including copies of the Khamsa of Nizami, with compositions notable for their intricate architectural settings, dynamic figure groupings, and psychologically observant characterization within the stylized conventions of the form. Bihzad's work marks the high point of the Herat school of miniature painting and profoundly shaped Persian, and later Mughal, manuscript illustration for generations after his death.
Facts
TrainingRaised by the painter and calligrapher Mirak Naqqash, director of the Timurid royal library 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Kamal ud-Din Behzad
Safavid service, death sentence
Behzād continued to serve in the Shah's workshop until his death in 1535.
Lead, first sentence (nationality)
was a Persian painter and head of the royal ateliers in Herat and Tabriz during the late Timurid and early Safavid eras.
Early life, birthplace sentence
He was born and lived most of his life in Herat, a city in modern-day western Afghanistan and an important center of trade and the Timurid Empire's cultural and economic capital.
Early life, upbringing sentence (training)
Behzād was orphaned at an early age and raised by the prominent painter and calligrapher Mirak Naqqash, a director of the Timurid royal library.
Gender reference
Working chiefly as head of the royal workshop under the Timurid ruler Husayn Bayqara and later the Safavid court, he illustrated manuscripts of major Persian literary works, including copies of the Khamsa of Nizami, with compositions notable for their intricate architectural settings, dynamic figure groupings, and psychologically observant characterization within the stylized conventions of the form.
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