The Rhythm of the Pen and the Art of the Book

The works of art carefully selected for this catalogue and exhibition held at Sam Fogg from October 16 - November 10, 2017, follow the impact of the introduction of paper into the Islamic world and its effect on both the quality and the scope of the calligraphic art form. 

This lavishly illustrated volume takes the reader through a journey of some six centuries of development of the refined arts of calligraphy and illumination in the Islamic world. Much has been written on the dawn and early stages of the development of Arabic script and the position of calligraphy as an art form within Islamic civilization. This catalogue seeks to follow this story further into the golden age of Islamic calligraphy and its appreciation and patronage as the chief form of artistic expression from Islamic Spain to China.