Ink and Gold: Islamic CalligraphyInk and Gold charts the development of Islamic calligraphy over a thousand years, from its beginnings in the Arabian Peninsula. Given the status of the Qur'an as the word of Allah and ambivalence towards representation of living things, the art of the pen became the focus of an extraordinary energy. The essays in this volume cover all the major centers of Islamic calligraphy, from North Africa to Central Asia, highlighting the achievements of Islamic calligraphers in the ages of the 'Abbasid (749-258), Seljuk (1055-1243), Ilkhanid (1256-1357), Safavid (1502-1736), and Mughal Empires (1526-1857). Though pride of place is given to the Qur'an, calligraphy is also examined in mystical and scientific works, Persian poetry, and calligraphy albums. |
Common terms and phrases
Abbasid abjad album alif Arabic manuscript artistic bifolium Blue Qur'an border brown ink calligraphic cartouches Chester Beatty Library cm TEXT AREA codex coloured Dala'il al-Khayrat decorated Déroche devices divisions are marked dots dynasty early Eastern Kufic script eighth century example Fatimid fifth verse divisions gold Kufic script gold rosettes green heading panel Hijazi Ilkhanid illuminated panels inscription Iran Iskandar Islamic Arts Islamic Calligraphy Islamic world Istanbul Khalili Collection Kufic script letter letter-pointing Library lines Maghribi script Mamluk margin Marinid medallions Mosque motifs Mughal Muhammad muhaqqaq Museum naskh script North Africa original Ottoman palmette parchment Paris period Qayrawan qiyama Qur'an Qur'an leaf Qur'an manuscripts roundels Safadi Safavid Sana'a scribe Shah single verse divisions Sotheby's style Sultan Sura 11 Tenth verse divisions terminal thulth Timurid tradition Umayyad vellum verse count verse markers verso vocalization word الله ان او این به على عليه ما