Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur'an

28 by 21.5cm., 64pp., colour. Catalogue of the exhibition held at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 3, 2007 February 3, 2008. The Qur'an states that the first thing created by God was the pen, with which he wrote creation, and so the practice of calligraphy constituted an expression of piety. But calligraphy was also a trace of its maker, a permanently impressed mark of his or her character. As artists acquired skill in beautiful writing, they would inevitably reveal their ideas and moral fiber as well, recording these aspects of themselves for posterity. Moreover, proficiency in calligraphy was a hallmark of high culture and was thus not simply the preserve of professional scribes who staffed imperial bureaucracies of Muslim dynasties or prepared books for major cultural institutions such as mosques and theological colleges. Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur'an showcases a superb selection of folios from copies of the Qur'an, the preeminent context for the practice of calligraphy in the Islamic world. These folios present calligraphy produced in the region between North Africa and Iran from the 9th to 16th centuries.…