| The Ghassan Ibrahim Shaker Collection
is an important collection of Qur'ans and other religious
manuscripts notable for the quality of calligraphy and the
splendour of their bindings and illumination.
The Shaker Collection has recently been published as Golden
Pages, written by Dr. Nabil Safwat and published
in 2000 by the Oxford University Press. It is available in
large format hardback and online at www.shakercollection.com.
This publication contributes to the growing appreciation
of Islamic calligraphy in the West, not only in terms of technical
form but also the essential interdependence of script and
format with the expression of faith.
The collection concentrates on Qur'ans and includes particularly
rare and interesting items such as an Ottoman Turkish translation.
Its other far-ranging holdings include Qur'ans from Mamluk
in Egypt in the 13th Century to Ottoman Turkey in the 19th
Century; two royal Qur'ans from Qajar Iran, and manuscripts
from the wider Islamic world - from Morocco, Sudan and Nigeria,
from Turkestan, Indonesia, China and Mughal India - as well
as others by calligraphers working under the Ottomans in Bulgaria.
The Shaker Collection throws light on the work of famous
scribal personalities including Yaqut Musta'simi, and on anonymous
amateurs. It also includes manuscripts by female calligraphers.
The essay that accompanies Golden Pages discusses practical
issues such as scribal training and the preparation of materials,
and focuses on the expressive use of lesser-known scripts
and layouts. |
