Dust Muhammad

The Story Of Haftvad And The Worm, from the Shahnameh by Dust Muhammad, Aga Khan Museum, c. 1540, from the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp Dust Muhammad, also Dust Muhammad Musawwir or "Dust Muhammad the painter" was a Persian painter of miniatures, calligrapher, and art historian, active from about 1510 to 1564. Apparently a student of Bizhad, he may be best defined as an artist trained in the Timurid tradition, who further developed his style under the Safavids.

Early career Dust Muhammad was born in Herat in the late 15th century, although the date is not known. He was a disciple of Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, working with teachers in Herat. Prince Bahram Mirza first spotted his talent and invited him to work in his studio. By early 1520 Muhammad moved with Behzad from Herat to Tabriz. After the death of Shah Ismail I, he remained in the service of Shah Tahmasp I, taking part in the illustration of the famous Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, however his contribution is much more modest than that of Sultan Mohammed or Mir Musavvir.

After the death of Behzad in 1535, Muhammad left Tahmasp's court. According to some researchers, he was a nomad and he could no longer sit in the same spot.

Kabul multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=400|caption_align=center

direction =horizontal image1 = Allegory of the Celebrations for Akbar's Circumcision at Khwaja Seh Yaran Mughal at Kabul, c. 1546 AD Detail of Humayun's portrait (detail), photographed c. 1985.jpg image2 = Allegory of the Celebrations for Akbar's Circumcision at Khwaja Seh Yaran Mughal at Kabul, c. 1546 AD, photographed c. 1985 MET catalogue.jpg footer=Portrait of Humayun and his brothers, from life, by Dust Muhammad, c.1546, Kabul. Humayun's face was later damaged as it travelled to the India! Art and Culture exhibition in 1985.

Dust Muhammad arrived at the Mughal court much earlier than other, younger Safavid artists such as Mir Sayyid ‘Ali and ‘Abdussamad, who arrived in 1549. Humayun called him the "Mani of the Age" in the same letter. Aga Khan Collection In 1555, and at the invitation of Emperor Humayun, he traveled to India. But Humayun died in 1556.

In the early 1560s, the court of the Mughal emperors was already under Emperor Akbar I, and Dust Muhammad left India and returned to Iran. He lived out his last days in Qazvin. The exact date of his death is unknown.