Islamic Art, Architecture and Material Culture: New perspectives, 2012
This paper presents some preliminary observations on the Arabic scripts used in the earliest peri... more This paper presents some preliminary observations on the Arabic scripts used in the earliest period of the Islamic era. The study focuses on Qur'an manuscripts and fragments written on parchment in so-called Hijazi scripts, and examines individual letter-forms, as well as words and the overall character of the scripts in relation both to each other and to contemporary scripts used on non-Qur'anic materials such as papyrus documents, coins, stone inscriptions and architecture. The aim of the overall study is to build up an accurate and broad-based survey of the scripts used in the earliest Islamic period, to attempt to establish their dating, and to describe any developmental features that emerge. Arabic palaeography has piqued the interest of many scholars over the centuries. In terms of research into Qur'ans in so-called Hijazi scripts, Michele Amari in the early nineteenth century was perhaps the first European scholar to focus on this area, and over the last century research has been carried out by, among others, Bernhard
Marcus Fraser, an independent scholar and consultant specializing in Islamic and Indian manuscrip... more Marcus Fraser, an independent scholar and consultant specializing in Islamic and Indian manuscripts and painting, is based in London. Catherine Glynn, an independent scholar of Indian painting and collector of South Asian art, is based in Los Angeles.
The V. S. Naipaul Collection of Indian Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours, 2014
The collection of Indian paintings and drawings assembled over the last half century by V. S. Nai... more The collection of Indian paintings and drawings assembled over the last half century by V. S. Naipaul is remarkable for its range, depth and quality, for the art historical significance of the works and for the important historical provenance that many of them possess. The collection includes important examples of Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani and Pahari paintings and drawings and a superlative group of Company School works from the most important artists and patrons of that era. It includes illustrations of many of the greatest texts in Hindu literature, such as the Mahabarata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Ramayana, the Pancha Tantra, the Sat Sai and the Rasikapriya as well as examples of Ragamala and Barahmasa illustrations. Some are delicate, some are powerful, some are subtle and some are intense, but all resonate with an aesthetic spirit and energy that is the hallmark of Indian miniature painting and the essence that has drawn V. S. Naipaul to collect in this richly rewarding field. As he mentions in his introduction, V. S. Naipaul's interest in Indian painting and his desire to collect in this field led him, in the 1960s, to the inestimable Clifford Maggs of Maggs Brothers in Berkeley Square. With their biannual and sometimes tri-annual bulletins running from the early 1960s to the late 1980s they were the leading dealers for Indian painting outside the auction houses in that era, and a good proportion of the works in this collection were acquired through Maggs. But V. S. Naipaul's growing interest and confidence from the late 1960s also led to purchases from the major auction houses, where Toby Falk of Sotheby's provided experienced and reassuring guidance, and from many of the other leading dealers of the period, including Colnaghi's, Kasmin, Hobhouse and Kyburg. One of the positive consequences of forming a collection when V. S. Naipaul did is that a large amount of important material was available with interesting historical provenance. Among the 18th-and 19th-century patrons and owners of works in this collection, some of whom were notable pioneers, were Sir Elijah and Lady Impey, William and James Fraser, Nathaniel Rind, Lord Wenlock and the Earls of Derby. Among the 20th-century owners were the scholar Ananda K.
Islamic Art, Architecture and Material Culture: New perspectives, 2012
This paper presents some preliminary observations on the Arabic scripts used in the earliest peri... more This paper presents some preliminary observations on the Arabic scripts used in the earliest period of the Islamic era. The study focuses on Qur'an manuscripts and fragments written on parchment in so-called Hijazi scripts, and examines individual letter-forms, as well as words and the overall character of the scripts in relation both to each other and to contemporary scripts used on non-Qur'anic materials such as papyrus documents, coins, stone inscriptions and architecture. The aim of the overall study is to build up an accurate and broad-based survey of the scripts used in the earliest Islamic period, to attempt to establish their dating, and to describe any developmental features that emerge. Arabic palaeography has piqued the interest of many scholars over the centuries. In terms of research into Qur'ans in so-called Hijazi scripts, Michele Amari in the early nineteenth century was perhaps the first European scholar to focus on this area, and over the last century research has been carried out by, among others, Bernhard
Marcus Fraser, an independent scholar and consultant specializing in Islamic and Indian manuscrip... more Marcus Fraser, an independent scholar and consultant specializing in Islamic and Indian manuscripts and painting, is based in London. Catherine Glynn, an independent scholar of Indian painting and collector of South Asian art, is based in Los Angeles.
The V. S. Naipaul Collection of Indian Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours, 2014
The collection of Indian paintings and drawings assembled over the last half century by V. S. Nai... more The collection of Indian paintings and drawings assembled over the last half century by V. S. Naipaul is remarkable for its range, depth and quality, for the art historical significance of the works and for the important historical provenance that many of them possess. The collection includes important examples of Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani and Pahari paintings and drawings and a superlative group of Company School works from the most important artists and patrons of that era. It includes illustrations of many of the greatest texts in Hindu literature, such as the Mahabarata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Ramayana, the Pancha Tantra, the Sat Sai and the Rasikapriya as well as examples of Ragamala and Barahmasa illustrations. Some are delicate, some are powerful, some are subtle and some are intense, but all resonate with an aesthetic spirit and energy that is the hallmark of Indian miniature painting and the essence that has drawn V. S. Naipaul to collect in this richly rewarding field. As he mentions in his introduction, V. S. Naipaul's interest in Indian painting and his desire to collect in this field led him, in the 1960s, to the inestimable Clifford Maggs of Maggs Brothers in Berkeley Square. With their biannual and sometimes tri-annual bulletins running from the early 1960s to the late 1980s they were the leading dealers for Indian painting outside the auction houses in that era, and a good proportion of the works in this collection were acquired through Maggs. But V. S. Naipaul's growing interest and confidence from the late 1960s also led to purchases from the major auction houses, where Toby Falk of Sotheby's provided experienced and reassuring guidance, and from many of the other leading dealers of the period, including Colnaghi's, Kasmin, Hobhouse and Kyburg. One of the positive consequences of forming a collection when V. S. Naipaul did is that a large amount of important material was available with interesting historical provenance. Among the 18th-and 19th-century patrons and owners of works in this collection, some of whom were notable pioneers, were Sir Elijah and Lady Impey, William and James Fraser, Nathaniel Rind, Lord Wenlock and the Earls of Derby. Among the 20th-century owners were the scholar Ananda K.
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