Page of Calligraphy

Abd al-Majid Taleqani

dated A.H. 1176/ 1763 CE · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

The shikasta or "broken script," developed in the seventeenth century, reached its peak in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This script had little currency outside the borders of Iran and was created to fill a need for quick and efficient yet beautiful writing that would be used primarily for private correspondence and administrative documents. In shikasta horizontal regularity is not the norm; instead words fluidly rise and fall, emphasizing delicate grace and movement.

Artist

Abd al-Majid Taleqani

Date

dated A.H. 1176/ 1763 CE

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1946