Just in time for Ramadan - Leaf Calligraphy

[Chouffleur]

Quote

The art of calligraphy on a dried leaf, was practised widely in Ottoman Turkey. This was difficult & delicate work. The leaf was dried, & the tissue removed to leave the skeletal membrane, with gold ink applied over it.

 

For 19 others see: https://rattibha.com/thread/1516342658628792320

[OCArt]

Wow! Thanks for sharing.

[txomsy]

Ditto. Pretty amazing!

[inkstainedruth]

That is just AMAZING!  Thanks for posting about this -- I had no idea that this sort of thing existed.  
Just exquisite workmanship!  I just wish that the link posted more information about HOW the work was done (and more importantly WHY...).  Any clue as to how early this sort of work was done?  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[txomsy]

https://www.orientalartauctions.com/object/artisla38096-an-ottoman-framed-leaf-written-with-gold-turkey-1328-ah-1910-ad

 

First write

Then remove flesh

 

Since it is from an auction site and may disappear, I quote:

 

"To achieve this work, the calligrapher begins by painting his inscription in ink on the sheet and then fixes it with a sheath of wax applied to each side of the sheet. Then he immerses the latter in an alkaline solution so as to dissolve the flesh, and does not remove it until the ribs appear and the inscription then covered with gold leaf."

 

Also of possible interest (I haven't read it yet):

 

https://muslimheritage.com/uploads/The_Art_of_Calligraphy_in_the_Ottoman_Empire1.pdf

 

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the info, txomsy.  Still wondering how early this technique dates to (I looked up the Ottoman Empire and apparently it got started at the end of the 13th C CE).  So now wondering if there are any extant pieces that date to earlier than the ones in the original link (I know a bunch of SCA calligraphers who would probably go bonkers over trying this technique if it can be dated to prior to the 17th C...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[Chouffleur]

There's a twitter thread that matches these illustrations and contains a reference to the Aga Khan Museum if that's of any use. A quick look at the museum site yielded lots of calligraphy but no leaves that I could find.

 

https://twitter.com/BaytAlFann/status/1516342729508274182

 

https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/index.html#addsearch=leaves calligraphy

[txomsy]

Maybe you should search for singular instead of plural.

 

Calligraphy was done on single leaves, not on many simultaneously. Searching for "leaf calligraphy" instead, seems to work (this was the first hit I got):

 

https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/collection/artifact/leaf-calligraphic-composition-akm538

[Chouffleur]

6 hours ago, txomsy said:

Maybe you should search for singular instead of plural.

Actually I did but my version of the search gave a large number of results with (ho-hum) calligraphy on *paper* in which the text kept referring to a "leaf". You either phrased it more felicitously or burned more incense to the search gods. ;-)

 

Unfortunately for Ruth's purpose every image I saw was categorized as "19th Century" which makes it unlikely to interest her SCA* friends.

 

*Specialty Coffee Association or Small Craft Advisory or perhaps even Society for Creative Anachronism - maybe even all three.

[inkstainedruth]

7 hours ago, Chouffleur said:

Unfortunately for Ruth's purpose every image I saw was categorized as "19th Century" which makes it unlikely to interest her SCA* friends.

 

*Specialty Coffee Association or Small Craft Advisory or perhaps even Society for Creative Anachronism - maybe even all three.

LoL -- that would be the third one (Society for Creative Anachronism).  But thanks for trying.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Paul_LZ]

On 4/21/2022 at 8:11 AM, Chouffleur said:

 

For 19 others see: https://rattibha.com/thread/1516342658628792320

Arabic calligraphy os one of the most beautiful, intricate and lavish calligraphies. The vast majority of sentences words and phrases are derived from the Holy Quran. In my case, being a christian, my family and I love this art and highly appreciate it, and my dear grandfather had a huge print on silk with the word of God on it. Here are some examples.

 

 

[JulieParadise]

Oh, these are beautiful, thank you for showing!

[Paul_LZ]

On 4/26/2022 at 5:13 AM, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks for the info, txomsy.  Still wondering how early this technique dates to (I looked up the Ottoman Empire and apparently it got started at the end of the 13th C CE).  So now wondering if there are any extant pieces that date to earlier than the ones in the original link (I know a bunch of SCA calligraphers who would probably go bonkers over trying this technique if it can be dated to prior to the 17th C...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

There are different styles that flourished with different destinies, such as the "Koufic" or "Kufic" calligraphic style, when Baghdad in Iraq was the centre of the islamic world. The name derives or is attributed to the southern town of Kufa, where this still, very angular, was born

[inkstainedruth]

This thread is now making me think of one awhile back where some new person to FPN was studying calligraphy at the University of Cairo, and had posted images of his work.  I remember being amazed that the designs were so graphically different, yet apparently were the same text.  I also remember that FPN member smk was admiring the new person's work -- and thinking at the time "WOW!  If *Salman* is impressed, this person MUST be extremely talented!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[txomsy]

Which comes to show, we are too much westernly centered here. We complain of paper, pen, etc. disappearing and losing quality, but ignore that there are vast extensions and cultures in the World that still love and relish hand writing.

 

As an anecdote, I like to sign and fill in the names in course certificates by hand, I feel it gives them a personal and authenticity touch, makes them less attractive/easy to forge. I was once in an African country where we were giving several courses. When I finished mine, I asked participants to come and filled-in and signed their certificates before them with a Lamy Joy 1.5mm in italic script. When I was finishing I raised my head and saw a long queue in front of me. It seems the voice had spread and all the participants in the other courses wanted me to fill in their certificates as well. Everybody wanted a nicely hand-written personalized cert.

 

Generally, it has been my experience, most people appreciate the personal touch, and even more, like calligraphy. And that's not only on Arab-influence areas. I've also seen long tourist queues in front of Chinese calligraphers in the Secret Palace of Beijing or in the Chinese/Japanese pavilions of tourist fairs when one was present.

 

Maybe we Westerners tend to lean on the pessimistic side?

[sophiaaa]

On 4/20/2022 at 11:11 PM, Chouffleur said:

 

For 19 others see: https://rattibha.com/thread/1516342658628792320

Masha-Allah , such beautiful piece:)