THE SPLENDOUR OF ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY

THE SPLENDOUR OF ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY

This is the definitive survey of Islamic calligraphy

Calligraphy is perhaps at its most brilliant in the Islamic world. Its use in sacred and official texts gave rise to a wonderful profusion of scripts, and a calligraphic tradition that has flourished for over a thousand years – not only in manuscript decoration but in architecture, ceramics and painting.

The Splendour of Islamic Calligraphy, widely acclaimed on first publication as the most lavish and sumptuous study of its kind, provides a comprehensive and fascinating survey of the subject from its earliest origins to the present day.

It explains with the help of numerous line drawings the geometrical and ornamental principles of calligraphy, and examines the interdependence of script and page decoration. It also gives an overview of the many complex variations of this form of writing, and traces its evolution right up to its current expressions.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it contains outstanding examples of scripts – kufic, thuluth, naskhi and maghribi among others – in a series of magnificent photographs which reproduce in stunning detail a range of manuscript pages, paintings and other works of art to illustrate the supreme craftsmanship of Islamic calligraphy.

Abdelkebir Khatibi, Professor at the Mohammed V University, Rabat, and Mohammed Sijelmassi, a noted art critic, have published books on a variety of subjects associated with the Islamic culture, in particular on the arts of Morocco, where they both live.