Mir Sayyid Ali

a 16th-century artist, representative of the Tabriz school of miniatures.

Mir Sayyid AH was taught by his father, the painter Mir Mussawir, and by Behzad. The composition of his works, executed in Tabriz (illustrations for Nezami’s Khamseh, manuscript dated 1539-43, British Museum, London), is distinguished by the inclusion of a multitude of somewhat static figures and by sonorous patches of color. In 1555, Mir Sayyid Ali went to live in India, where he became a leading court painter and one of the founders of the Mogul school of miniatures. His most significant work during this period was illustrating (together with a group of other artists) the manuscript Hamzehnameh (1564–79; the illustrations are preserved in private collections in the USA, Switzerland, and elsewhere).