Shah Mahmud, known as Zarrin-qalam (Golden Pen), was born in the city of Nishapur, Persia, and studied calligraphy under the supervision of Abdi al-Katib Nishapuri. He specialised in the style of nasta'liq script of the famous master Sultan Ali al-Mashhadi (d.1519). This manuscript was copied when he was still working at the court of Shah Tahmasp.

Shah Mahmud is thought to have been Shah Isma'il's (d.1524) favourite calligrapher, and he was held in such high esteem that during the campaign against the Ottoman Sultan Selim I, he was locked up by the ruler alongside the painter Behzad, for fear of their possible kidnap by the Ottomans (see S. Rado, Turk Hattatlari, Istanbul, 1980, p.67). Under the patronage of Shah Tahmasp (r.1524-76) these two masters later combined to produce one of the most spectacular manuscripts of Nizami's Khamsa, now in the British Library (inv. no.2235). Shah Mahmud later moved to Mashhad and spent the rest of his life copying calligraphic pages and teaching pupils, including Qadi Ahmad, who met him in Mashhad. He died in 1564.

Celebrated as one of the greatest masters of nasta'liq script, Shah Mahmud's works have been collected by royal bibliophiles across the Muslim world. It has been noted that members of the Ottoman elite particularly adored him. A magnificent Qur'an manuscript by him, transcribed in nasta'liq, can be found in the Topkapi Palace. See also M. Serin, Hat Sanatı ve Meshur Hattatlar, Kubbealti, Istanbul, 1999.  

Shah Mahmud's recorded work includes manuscripts and calligraphic pages dated between 923 AH (1517-18 AD) and 982 AH (1574-75 AD) (Bayani vol.I, pp.295-304; vol.II, pp.305-7; Minorsky 1959, pp.135-8).