Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy
Introduction: Traces of the Calligrapher This exhibition and its companion exhibition, Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur’an, explore Islamic art’s quintessential art form: calligraphy. In the …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | traces_3_02
Calligraphic composition in thuluth script forming part of Qur’an 28.88 (“All things will perish save His magnificence”). Ustad Kazim Khayyat Bashi Iran, 1887–88 (1305 H). Ink, opaque pigment, and gold …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | The Calligrapher’s Tools and Materials
The artistic elaboration and precious substances lavished on many of the tools clearly exceed functional requirements and testify to the prestige of calligraphy in Islamic lands. Yet, more than commercial …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | traces_1_04
Detail of paper scissors showing handles transformed in the inscription “O! Opener” (“Ya Fattah”). Turkey, 1800s. Steel overlaid with gold. Private collection
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | Writing the Word of God
The fact that the revelations had come to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic, along with the high status accorded to the writing in the Qur’an, created a new prestige for the Arabic language, its written form, …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | Related Programs
Related Programs Members-Only Lecture “Inside the World of the Islamic Calligrapher,” with Mary McWilliams, Harvard Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum Tuesday, October 21 at 6:00 pm …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | writing_03
Folio from a Qur’an in Eastern Kufic script. Iran, possibly Mashhad, late 11th–early 12th century. Ink, opaque pigment, and gold on paper. 15 1/8 x 19 1/8 in. (38.4 x 48.5 cm). Harvard University Art …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | traces_1_05
Pen box with hinged inkwell, inscribed with a prayer in the form of the tŭgra (imperial Ottoman monogram) and the phrase “He [God] is.” Turkey, ca. 1850. Steel overlaid with silver and gold. 9.6 x …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | traces_1_06
Calligrapher’s storage box bearing the Qur’anic (96:4) inscription “Who taught by the pen.” Turkey, 1700s. Wood, inlaid with tortoiseshell (over gold leaf), ivory, brass, mother-of-pearl, and bone. 5.7 x …
Asia Society | Islamic Calligraphy | About the Exhibitions
About the Exhibitions Traces of the Calligrapher: Islamic Calligraphy in Practice, ca. 1600–1900 Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur’an Dates: October 7, 2008–February 8, 2009 Hours: …