Habib Allāh Savāji or ‘Habib Allah of Sava’ was a renowned painter of the Safavid era during the reign of Shah Abbas I. Known for being one of the conservative artists of the period, Habib Allah’s career began at Qom (Iran) under the patronage of Navvāb Hosayn Khān Šamlu, the then Safavid governor of Qom. The patronage helped provide him opportunities, and his fame rose day by day with his talent. In 1589, when Shah Abbas was at Herat, he made Hosayn Khan the governor of Khorasan. It was during this interaction that the Shah got to know about Habib and invited him to Isfahan and appointed him to his royal atelier. It was from here that Habib Allah’s career took a big turn.
Themes
As one of the most renowned painters during the rule of Shah Abbas I, the attribution of ‘conservative artist’ before the name of Habib Allah is not because any religious bias or orthodoxy, but rather due to his adherence to the traditional styles that evolved in paintings under the Timurid patronage. The themes in his paintings are either a reflection of the spiritual ideas of Sufism (which had patronage under the Safavids), as is reflected in his paintings in the Mantiq al Tair, which represents society and different kinds of humans ‘allegorically’ in the form of different forms of birds. Another mark of his conservative style is the strict following of the traditional Muraqqas style of manuscripts, which had one whole side of the paper for painting and the other for texts. Also, the highly stylized and intricately designing shows the continuation of the Safavid court culture in paintings.
Signature Works
The above painting is a folio from the Matiq al Tair, or the ‘Language of Birds’), attributed to Habib Allah of Sava. The Mantiq al Tair was actually a twelfth-century work by Farid al Attar. The above folio is titled ‘A concourse of birds’ and belongs to a Safavid-era re-creation of the original text made probably at Tabriz (Iran). This is a work on paper made using various media and materials, which include ink, opaque watercolour and melted precious metals such as gold and silver for illumination. The style of the painting reflects an intermixture of the Timurid, Aq Qoyunlu and other Central Asian styles which were a feature of Safavid court paintings. The glimpse of lively effect seems to be an impact of contact with Indian art forms. In ‘A Concourse of Birds’, the bird is depicted in a forest while the people living in it are depicted as different birds, which are depictions of different types of humans- the hidden allegory in his paintings. The gathering of the birds is headed by the Hoopoe (Hudhud) bird perched high on a rock, who seems to head the gathering. Symbolically, the hoopoe is a reminder of the legend of King Solomon, who ruled the world of birds and whose messenger was a hoopoe bird. As an artwork, it is a representation of the mystical traditions of the period with Safavid courtly grandness and intricacy.
Impact
The above painting is not just an artwork but a repository of the cultural and religious traditions of that particular period in Iran, especially Sufism and the mystical practices associated with it, but also the courtly traditions of art developed over centuries under the rule of different dynasties. As an artwork, it is a classic example of early and mid-Safavid-era paintings, which often contained allegorical meanings hidden in depictions of flora, fauna, and the world in them. As an artwork, it is an example of dedication and fine craftsmanship given for using organic tools and materials of the period. Moreover, it is not only a piece of art- it is a glimpse of what the Safavids wished to manifest spiritually and ideologically through paintings.
Notable Patrons
The notable patrons of Habib Allah of Sava include Navvāb Hosayn Khān Šamlu and Shah Abbas I of the Safavid Empire. For a long time, there had been a shortage of information regarding Habib Allah as his patron, Hosayn Khan Šamlu, the governor of Qom, was often confused with the one Hosayn Khan Šamlu who was the governor of Qazvin for a long time. As per the account of his contemporary Qazi Ahmad, Habib Allah first began to gain opportunities under Hosayn Khan, and his family had quite a reputation while staying at Qom. When Shah Abbas was at Herat while overseeing a recapture of Qandahar from the Mughals, it was here that Habib Allah was requested at the royal court and moved to Isfahan, while his family stayed at Qom and continued to enjoy this respect.