A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c20.s1.10

c20.s1.10

Bihzād (Kamāl-ud-dīn, a. d. 1487–1524), who enjoyed the favour of both Sultan Husain Baiqara and his successor, Shah Ismail, the founder of the Safavide dynasty of Persia (acc. a. d. 1500), marks the transition from the Mongoloid style of the Tīmūrid age to the more refined art patronized by the Safavide kings. He had numerous pupils, and so formed a school, the works of which, in Abūl Fazl’s opinion, were surpassed by those of Indian disciples. Seven of his drawings are preserved in the Imperial Library, Vienna; and six miniatures, ‘merveilleuses compositions de ce grand peintre’ (including one with his signature), which adorn a manuscript of the *Bostān* at Cairo, are from his brush.²