Çömez Mustafa Vâsıf

Mustafa Vâsıf (d. 1853) was given the nickname, "Çömez," meaning apprentice, by his teacher, Kebecizâde Mehmed Vasıf (d. 1831). He also studied with Ömer Vasfı (d. 1825), known as Lâz Ömer. Mustafa Vâsıf is most well known for his calligraphic panels (qit'a) and verbal portraits of the Prophet Muhammed (hilya) in the thuluth and naskh scripts. According to Ottoman histories, while on pilgrimage to Mecca, Mustafa Vâsıf met a Muslim man from Java who wrote with a palm-thorn pen (cava kalemi). Having found that the palm-thorn pen was ideal for writing long texts in small scripts, Mustafa Vâsıf introduced the writing instrument to calligraphers in Istanbul.

Mustafa Vâsıf also served as the custodian of the mausoleum of Sultan Abdülhamid I (r. 1774–1789) and the director of the Hamid I Philanthropic Foundation (Hamîd-i Evvel Vakfı). He died in 1853 A.D./ 1269 A.H. and is buried at the Eyüb Mosque in Istanbul.