Insha’da

This calligraphic fragment belongs to a series of 22 literary compositions or letters written by the calligraphers Mir Kalan, Khan Zaman (son of Khan Khanan), Qa'im Khan, Lutfallah Khan, and Mahabat Khan. Judging from the script (Indian Nasta'liq), a seal impression bearing the date 1113 AH/1701–2, and a letter mentioning the city of Jānpur in India, it appears that these writings were executed in India during the 18th century. The calligraphies are typically written a hasty Nasta'liq on white paper, framed in blue, and pasted to pink or salmon cardboard. They stand out for being in rather poor condition, in many cases badly damaged by worm holes and/or water stains. Some bear squiggle-like marks in the margins, while others include seal impressions that were cut out and pasted onto the cardboard. In most cases, an attribution to a calligrapher is written at the top, preceded by the expression "written by" or "the handwriting of." This fragment's recto includes an attribution note at the top stating that it was executed by Mir Kalan. An otherwise unrelated document, perhaps from a ledger or accounting book, was torn out and pasted above the calligraphic sample. It includes the word