Introducing, Grouping and Examining Styles in Sahifi Jowhari’s Calligraphic Works

Sahifi Jowhari is one of the most accomplished calligraphers in Sulus living in Safavid era. He wrote poetry as well. Nonetheless, his biography and works in the history of Iranian calligraphy have been only scantily studied. Sahifi was one of the influential men of Zolghadr clan of Shiraz who was brought up and died in Isfahan. The present research aimed to both introduce Sahifi’s available works and group them in different classes from different aspects. The important questions of his research included: In what time span could Sahifi produce his main works? What are the salient features of his inscriptions? This research was followed library research and field studies. All available cases were then examined. Statistical cases included nine inscriptions in Isfahan. The results indicated that one of the inscriptions is in nastaliq and the others are in sulus. Based on the evidence available in Masjid-e-Jami (Gathering mosques), Shahshahan Tomb, Shahzeid Tomb, Jorjir Mosque, Jarchi Mosque and Sorkhi Mosque, all in Isfahan, he created his main works during the last two decades of the 10th Hijri century and during the early two decades of the 11th Hijri century. In addition, the formalistic study of Sahifi’s works imply that his inscriptions, like many other inscriptions of Safavid era, are fairly readily legible; no elaborate calligraphic style has been applied. At the same time, unlike other Safavid inscriptions, the background decorative elements of Sahifi’s calligraphic works have a simple pattern.