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Orientations | Volume 55 Number 4 | JULY/AUGUST 2024 Beyond Words: Calligraphy from the World of Islam Rasmus Bech Olsen The David Collection is a small private museum located in the heart of Copenhagen. It was founded by the Danish lawyer and art collector C. L. David (1878–1960) and transferred to the C. L. David Foundation after his death. Throughout his adult life, David collected modern Danish painting and sculpture and European furniture and decorative art from the 17th–18th century, as well as a small group of ceramics from the Islamic world. The latter group of works was originally meant to put the collection of Danish and European ceramics in relief, but Islamic art became a main acquisition focus for the David Collection from the 1960s onward, and the museum now houses one of the ten most important collections outside the Islamic world. One of the areas covered by the David Collection is Islamic calligraphy executed with pen and ink on parchment and paper. Works within this category date from the 7th to the 19th century and include leaves from the tomes of the Persian poet Saadi (c. 1213–92), writing samples by famed calligraphers such as Hafiz Osman (1642–98), and mystical calligrammes linked to Sufism (fig. 1). The majority are, however, leaves from manuscripts of the Qur’an. In general, these leaves were not acquired for their specific textual content, but rather for their 34 1 Calligramme of a lion Turkey; 1863–64 Cut paper; 33 x 45.5 cm The David Collection Photo: Pernille Klemp
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2 Leaf from a Qur’an in Hijazi script Syria or the Arabian Peninsula, al-Hijaz; second half of the 7th century Ink on parchment; 36.2 x 28.3 cm The David Collection Photo: Pernille Klemp of Islamic calligraphy and its associated crafts such as papermaking, bookbinding, and illumination. This article will present ten of the most significant Qur’an leaves and manuscripts owned by the David Collection, all of which form part of the exhibition ‘Beyond Words: Calligraphy from the World of Islam’ on view at the museum from 24 May 2024 through 26 January 2025. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue offer a multifaceted display of Islamic calligraphy through the ages and, besides works on parchment and paper, also include a wide array of inscribed objects, from architectural friezes to tableware and amulets, illustrating the omnipresence of embellished writing within all aspects of Islamic art and culture. Muslims regard the Qur’an as the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632) by the archangel Jibril (Gabriel). According to tradition, the Prophet did not commit his revelations to writing. Instead, he delivered the divine message orally to his congregation in western Arabia. The composition of a written Qur’an may have begun with congregation members writing down Muhammad’s words on scraps of parchment as well as other available materials such as pottery shards and camel bones, in addition to memorizing them. At some point after Muhammad’s death in 632, this mix of written and oral material was systematized, harmonized, and collected in manuscripts with exactly the same wording. According to the traditional narrative, this significance as works of art. The Qur’an holds a special elevated position within Islamic calligraphy, and therefore manuscripts of the holy book of Islam often represent the pinnacle of the calligraphic arts of a given period. Moreover, as copies of the Qur’an have been produced by Muslims everywhere and at all times, they offer an important prism through which to observe the historical development 3 Leaf from a Qur’an in Kufi script Syria; mid-8th century Ink on parchment; 31.3 x 39.9 cm The David Collection Photo: Pernille Klemp 35

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Orientations | Volume 55 Number 4 | JULY/AUGUST 2024

Beyond Words: Calligraphy from the World of Islam Rasmus Bech Olsen

The David Collection is a small private museum located in the heart of Copenhagen. It was founded by the Danish lawyer and art collector C. L. David (1878–1960) and transferred to the C. L. David Foundation after his death. Throughout his adult life, David collected modern Danish painting and sculpture and European furniture and decorative art from the 17th–18th century, as well as a small group of ceramics from the Islamic world. The latter group of works was originally meant to put the collection of Danish and European ceramics in relief, but Islamic art became a main acquisition focus for the David Collection from the 1960s onward, and the museum now houses one of the ten most important collections outside the Islamic world.

One of the areas covered by the David Collection is Islamic calligraphy executed with pen and ink on parchment and paper. Works within this category date from the 7th to the 19th century and include leaves from the tomes of the Persian poet Saadi (c. 1213–92), writing samples by famed calligraphers such as Hafiz Osman (1642–98), and mystical calligrammes linked to Sufism (fig. 1). The majority are, however, leaves from manuscripts of the Qur’an. In general, these leaves were not acquired for their specific textual content, but rather for their

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1

Calligramme of a lion

Turkey; 1863–64 Cut paper; 33 x 45.5 cm

The David Collection Photo: Pernille Klemp

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