Early Islamic Art 4: The Art of the Qur’an

Early Islamic Art

In this lecture series, we will look at material evidence from first seven centuries of the Islamic world, focusing on four key areas of artistic endeavour: architectural design, ceramics, metalwork, and the arts of the book.

Early Islamic Art 4: The Art of the Qur’an

The development of elegant Arabic calligraphy and the production of the Qur’an as a book were central to the art of the Islamic world. Following the death of the Prophet in 623 CE. (Peace be upon him), his oral transmissions of the word of God were gathered together on the instructions of the first Caliphs. The verses were collated, and copied by scribes using early Arabic scripts. Written Arabic subsequently went through an unprecedented process of refinement, resulting in the art of calligraphy being elevated as the highest artistic endeavour in Islam.

In this lecture we will look at examples of early Qur’ans, tracing the development of Kufic scripts, the transition to cursive scripts, and the development of qur’anic design and illumination. We will look at some important centres of patronage and book production across different regions of the Medieval Islamic world, considering aesthetics and the materials employed, including the transition from parchment to paper, the use of gold, and the formulae for inks and pigments.

Practical Information:

The four standalone lectures that make up this series can be attended individually, according to your interest and convenience.

Comprehensive background notes, resources, and images accompany each lecture. These will be sent separately to participants.

Each lecture takes place on Zoom over two hours with a short comfort break at a convenient point. The lectures are presented with lavishly illustrated power-point presentations, and there will be time for comments and discussion.

Time Conversions: The Zoom lectures are transmitted from London, UK. If you are located out of the UK, please check your local time conversion. Bear in mind that after the 26th October, British time reverts to GMT, i.e. the clocks go back by one hour. Try to log in 10 – 15 minutes before the start time.