Rāqem al-Tasvir: A Study on the Features of Mirzā Ali-Qoli Khoee’s Signatures,, Lithograph Artist in Qajar Era

The inclusion of the artist's name or signature in paintings has been common in Iranian art from 9th century. These signatures include information on the name, nickname, father's name, date and name of the patron of the artwork or artist, place of birth and residence, and are now among the few notable sources for researchers to know the artist and his work style. The tradition of signing the artworks continued in the lithographed books of the Qajar period after the illustrations of the manuscripts.  Although the illustrators’ signatures in the lithographic books were more than just mentioning their names, the signatures of Mirzā Ali-Qoli Khoee, the most important artist of this period, have features in terms of form and content that distinguish them from the signatures of many lithographers of his time.
This research, which is qualitative in terms of approach and is classified as applied in terms of purpose, seeks to find the answer to the question of how Mirzā Ali-Qoli Khoee has left his mark in the images. This research is based on the comparison of more than sixty of his signatures in the lithographic books of the Qajar period and examines the signatures based on the content, shape and type of calligraphy.
Initially, all identified signatures are divided into two major groups, calligraphic and non-calligraphic, and are examined from three perspectives: script, composition, place of registration and content. While the first group of signatures with the upper handwriting indicates the handwriting of a capable calligrapher, the second group consists of handwritten lines by a literate scholar. The excellent calligraphy he used in some of his later works, which is quite different from his calligraphy in the earlier illustrations, suggests that these signatures may have been made by a professional calligrapher by the request of Ali-Qoli.
This research shows that Mirzā Ali-Qoli Khoee has always tried to use his signatures not only for registration and badge, not even as an element in image composition, but also as a sign of the artist's presence in the image. The recording of the signatures between two figures, along with the positive and sacred character and hidden in the crowd of visual elements, has caused the artist to appear in the roles of the listener, the believer and the silent observer in the images, respectively. In this way he refers to his religious beliefs and his interest in fascination with stories.
Mirzā Ali-Qoli Khoee by carefully choosing the right place and the right words for the signatures, which are sometimes found in unconventional spaces such as the end of the book, places himself not as a book decorator, but in the guise of one of the book's creators, such as scribe, translator, author, publishes and publishes, and registers a person with ideas and opinions. His varied and unique signatures, along with his magnificent and influential illustrations in lithographed books, form an image of a creative, inquisitive, and committed artist in whose minds each book is a platform for rebirth and re-creation.