Abd al-Samad (1500 - 1593)

Abd al-Samad

Abd al-Samad (also known as Hodja Abdus Samad, Abd al-Samad Shirazi) was a Persian and Indian painter of Iranian origin in the second half of the 16th century. He is known as a miniaturist and calligrapher who worked in Persia and India and had a great influence on the development of the Mughal school of painting.

Abd al-Samad is considered to be one of the founders of the Mughal school of miniature painting. He was also a nobleman of the Mughal imperial court. Some of his miniatures are now in the collection of the Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Bodley Library in Oxford.