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About this Item

Title

  • Mufradat page

Created / Published

  • 19th century (?)

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Ottoman
  • -  Manuscripts, Ottoman--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Turkey
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Nasta'liq

Notes

  • -  Ottoman Nasta'liq script, calligraphy practice page.
  • -  A number of other mufradat exercises are held in the collection of the Library of Congress: see 1-85-154.80, 1-85-154.81, 1-87-154.128a-b, and 1-88-154.36a-b.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 10.2 (w) x 18.4 (h) cm
  • -  The letters are written in a black nasta'liq script on a beige paper and surrounded by cloud bands executed in light blue and white ink. Between the bands and the rectangular frame appear a number of illuminated flower motifs placed on a gold background stippled with three-dot incisions. The work's frames combine single colors with an internal white-and-gray marbled paper (kaghaz-i abri). The paper and frames are placed onto a thicker light green piece of paper decorated with gold flecks.
  • -  This folio's first three lines include the single letters (al-huruf al-mufradah) arranged in alphabetical order. In the middle of the third line appears a light blue and gold stippled rosette intended to separate the free-standing letters at the top from the sequence of composite letters at the bottom. The composite letters combine the second letter of the alphabet ba (b) with subsequent letters of the alphabet. Between each line of text appear curved wavy lines executed in black ink intended to fill the otherwise unadorned, empty spaces in the composition.
  • -  This fragment contains what would have been the first page of an album of calligraphic alphabetical (mufradat) exercises. Such albums include the single letters (al-huruf al-mufradah or, in the Ottoman tradition, huruf-i muqatta'a) of the Arabic alphabet in sequence, followed by letters in their composite form (in the Turkish tradition, murekkebe, lit. "pairs"). Exercise books begin at least by the 17th century in Ottoman Turkey and continue well into the 20th century (see 1-87-154.128a-b). They were used as books of calligraphy exemplars in order to introduce students to the Arabic alphabet and the practice of husn al-khatt (beautiful handwriting). They also bear witness to the chain of transmission of calligraphic knowledge throughout the centuries (Safwat 1996:12-3).
  • -  Script: nasta'liq
  • -  1-85-154.84

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 18.1 (w) x 26 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714511

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Mufradat Page. 19th Century ?. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714511/.

APA citation style:

Mufradat Page. 19th Century ?. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714511/.

MLA citation style:

Mufradat Page. 19th Century ?. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714511/>.