Nasrallah Hosseini Emami

Nasrallah Hosseini Emami (; –1876), also known as Mirza Nasrallah Emami and Nasrallah Emami Esfahani, was an Iranian painter, lacquer artist and calligrapher active during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. A member of the Emami family of Isfahan, he was associated with the Emami school of Persian lacquer painting. He received the title of naqqash-bashi, or chief painter, and worked on lacquer pen cases, book covers, mirror cases, floral compositions and paintings of birds.

Life and family Nasrallah Emami was born in Isfahan around 1226 AH, corresponding approximately to 1811–1812. Little is known about his education or teachers, but his surviving works indicate that he was trained within the workshop traditions of the painters and lacquer artists of Isfahan.

Nasrallah Emami was the father of Mohammad Hosayni Emami, a painter known for flower-and-bird compositions and lacquer objects, and the grandfather of Mirza Aqa Emami. Mirza Aqa Emami later worked in miniature painting, manuscript illumination, lacquer painting, carpet design and the art of leather and paper cutwork, continuing the artistic tradition of the family.

Title of naqqash-bashi During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah, Emami received the title of naqqash-bashi. The precise date on which the title was granted is unknown, but it appears alongside his name on a work dated 1290 AH, corresponding to 1873–1874. It has therefore been suggested that the title had been granted by either Naser al-Din Shah or Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan, the governor of Isfahan, by that date.

Although the term derives from the shared name or epithet used by these artists, the exact familial and master-pupil relationships among all members of the group remain incompletely documented. Similarities between their compositions and their use of shared patterns suggest professional connections between their workshops.

Other works attributed to him include lacquer pen cases, mirror cases and painted book covers. His works are dispersed among museum and private collections, and differences in the forms of his signatures have complicated the preparation of a comprehensive catalogue of his work.

Death and legacy Nasrallah Hosseini Emami died in 1293 AH, corresponding to 1876. His style and workshop traditions were continued by later members of the Emami family. His son, Mohammad Hosayni Emami, and his grandson, Mirza Aqa Emami, both worked in flower-and-bird painting, lacquer painting and related decorative arts, helping to maintain the family's artistic tradition in Isfahan.