The Visual Communication of the Nastaliq Script in the Masnavi of Khajavi Kermani Manuscript

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 P. H. D., Associate Professor of Video Communication Department, Faculty of Arts, Al-Zahra University, Tehran, Iran.

2 P. H. D., student, Islamic Arts, Faculty of Arts, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran.

10.22034/ias.2020.211735.1109

Abstract

Nastaliq developed in Iran from Naskh beginning in the 13th century and remains very widely used in Persian-speaking countries and for written poetry and as a form of art. The version of Khajavi Kermani's Masnavi by Mir Ali Ibn Ilyas Tabrizi (preserved in the British Library) is one of the exquisite and early examples of Nastaliq calligraphy. Considering the age and quality of this copy, compared to the only remaining copy of the Nastaliq script of the famous Mir Ali Tabrizi (Khosro and Shirin Nizami version), this research aims to study the characteristics of texts, titles, objective and governing perceptual visual communication, dots and the methods of applying the baseline and grading. The method of conducting the present research is descriptive and analytical, and data is gained from library research. According to the findings, in the version of Khajavi Kermani's Masnavi, despite the age of the version and the primitiveness of the Nastaliq script, the calligrapher has achieved a remarkable harmony and exquisiteness due to observing the perceptual (hidden) visual communication throughout the page. Observance of this importance in the mentioned version and its organization has been made possible by lines, punctuation and specific calligraphic acts, whose lines and angles have assumed the main role of visual guidance along the page; thus, most letters influence the feature preceding. Also, the high quality of the writing in the titles of the edition compared to the text, artistic taste and mastery of the calligrapher's handwriting (despite the primitiveness of the edition) are also noteworthy.

Research aims:
1. Recognizing the coordinates of the primary Nastaliq line.
2. Investigating the visual communication of the Nastaliq script in the Masnavi of Khajavi Kermani.

Research questions:
1. What characteristics does the early Nastaliq script have?
2. What visual features does the use of Nastaliq script have in the version of Khajavi Kermani's Masnavi?

Keywords

References

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Islamic Art Studies
Volume 18, Issue 43 - Serial Number 43
February 2021
Pages 565-579

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