Painting of "Horse Hunter" attributed to Muzaffar Ali

In 1544 AD, the year that "Dost Muhammad Ibn Sulayman al-Harwi" provided an exquisite Muraqqas for Bahram Mirza, the deposed Timurid emperor Homayoun took refuge in the Safavid court. In 1546, he asked Shah Tahmasb to give him permission to serve "Mirsaid Ali" and "Abdul Samad", who were also painters of the Timurid court in Kabul, in addition to "Mir Mussour" and "Dost Mohammad". Although Homayoun praised the ability of these four artists to faithfully depict the material world, it is unlikely that if Tahmasb himself still appreciated their art, he would have lost them. Other painters such as "Aghamirk", "Mirza Ali" and "Muzaffar Ali" did not fall from the eyes of the Shah.

Muzaffar Ali, who seems to have been proficient in horse painting, continued to create full-page works such as "The Horse Hunter" for the Muraqqas, and maintained the delicate style of his drawings in the Shahnameh and Khamseh. In addition to painting, he was also skilled in recreating, wrote Nasta'liq well, was strong and indefatigable in goldsmithing and gilding and excelled in dyeworks and lubrication. Few people like him knew all the techniques.

Prepared and arranged by: Narges Sahib Ekhtiari