Gorgeous Persian Calligraphy

A man with skill has at every fingertip

a key to the lock of daily sustenance.

The Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., has created a short video to accompany an exhibition about the beautiful nasta'liq script. The exhibition, "Nasta'liq: The Genius of Persian Calligraphy", on view through March 22, 2015, includes examples of the calligraphy dating from 1400 to 1600. (I saw the exhibit last week and can attest that nasta'liq may be the most beautiful calligraphy I've ever seen. Several examples are written aslant. The colors, especially the golds and blues, and the ornate papers are visually stunning.) 

The calligrapher in the video is Manzar Moghbeli.

Masters and Pupils of Nasta'liq

For events related to the exhibition, including lectures in December by Harvard University's David J. Roxburgh and Ohio State University's Dick Davis, see this list.