A Comparative Study of Good Layout (ḥosn-e ważʿ) in nastaʿlīq Pieces by Mīr ʿEmād Ḥasanī and ʿAlīrizā ʿAbbāsī

Mīr ʿEmād Ḥasanī and ʿAlīrizā ʿAbbāsī are both calligraphers form the Safavid era. Mīr ʿEmād Ḥasanī was renowned for his expertise in nastaʿlīq script, and ʿAlīrizā ʿAbbāsī’s fame was due to his works in nasḵ, ṯolṯ, and nastaʿlīq. This study explores the dissimilarities in the composition of nastaʿlīq pieces by the two afore-mentioned calligraphers. This research purpose is to compare the composition (tarkīb) and seating (korsī) to have a good layout (ḥosn-e ważʿ). In this article, ten pieces of nastaʿlīq works in the forms of four diagonal sentences (chalīpā) and one sentence were analyzed. Mīr ʿEmād Ḥasanī had a better commitment to the rules and principles of calligraphy in comparison with ʿAlīrizā ʿAbbāsī. In addition, minor differences between the two artists’ works were detectable: the differences in the seating of letters, execution of stretched letters, words and letters, the angel between calligraphy pen and the paper while writing dots, composition methods, and dispersion of stretched letters, and the signature of each calligrapher.