Click on the thumbnail illustrations
for a larger view. Most of these pieces were created on commission or sold at an
exhibition. For orders and inquiries, see How to Commission a
Work.
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Hilye-i Saadet (Arabic)
The description of the Prophet Muhammad
(for a translation, see The Hilye of the Prophet Muhammad).
Muhakkak, sulus, and nesih scripts
Gold and color illumination
23.5 x 15.5 inches
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Muhammad, Peace and Blessings Upon
Him (Arabic)
The name of the Prophet and his prayer
of blessing. This piece appears in the PBS production “Muhammad,
The Legacy of a Prophet.”
Celi sulus script
Ebru borders and gold division rulings
14.25 x 14.25 inches
Private collection
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Bu Da Gecer Ya Hu (Ottoman)
“This too shall pass.”
According to M. Ugur Derman, this text as a calligraphic work is an
excellent stress reliever.
Celi talik script
Fenugreek ebru and gold division
rulings
12 x 22.5 inches
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Murakkaa of the Hilye (Arabic)
Murakkaas, or albums, are portable
multi-work compendiums consisting of separate pages (kitas) and
expressing a theme, such as consistency of script or scripts. They
can be quite simple or very elaborate and complex. This is a
four-kita concertina album bound in red English leather. The text is
the Hilye-i saadet, or description of the Prophet (for a translation,
see The Hilye of the Prophet Muhammad).
Sulus and nesih scripts
Leather, ebru, gold, and color
illumination
12.75 x 9.5 inches closed; 12.75 x 39
inches open
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No Harm (Arabic)
“There is no harming or returning
harm for harm [in Islam].” This hadith is one of the most basic
foundations of the entire Islamic ethical structure.
Celi sulus script
Ebru and gold division rulings
13 x 20 inches
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After Yesari Efendi (Arabic;
from the Quran)
“Then let mankind reflect on what
they have been created.” This work is based on a work by the
18th-century founder of the Ottoman style of talik script.
Celi talik script
Ebru and gold division rulings
12 x 24 inches
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Ottoman Poem 1
“Do not say ‘Who will guide
me on the path of love?’ Just get on the road and God gives
success.” This poem is a mulemma, an Ottoman poetic form that
has Arabic features.
Sulus script
Ebru and gold division rulings
9 x 15.5 inches
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Ottoman Poem 2
“Some liken the beloved’s
figure to a juniper tree, some to the letter elif. The intent of both
is the same, but the thread of narration differs.” This amusing
poem alludes to the way that, in Islamic studies, one comes to the
same place by using differing narratives.
Ebru and gold division rulings
9.75 x 15 inches
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Celestial Globe
1984
This is the Islamic-style celestial
sphere, inlaid with the stars of all the major constellations, in
five magnitudes.
Brass with silver
18 inches, 35 pounds
Collection of the ARAMCO Museum,
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; photo by David Sharpe
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Horizontal Sundial
1987
Brass
Collection of the Qatar National
Museum; photo by David Sharpe
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Astrolabe (face)
1984
Classic Arabic-style astrolabe,
inscribed with every degree of latitude. The face shows the rete with
the star indicators and the ecliptic ring.
Brass
Collection of the ARAMCO Museum,
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; photo by David Sharpe
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Astrolabe (back)
The reverse of the same instrument,
showing star and sun sight, sine cosine quadrant, tangent squares,
solar latitudes and dates, lunar mansions, alidade sundial, and
scales of elevation.
Brass
Collection of the ARAMCO Museum,
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; photo by David Sharpe
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Calligrapher’s Toolkit 1
Hand-made specialty tools. From left:
two agate burnishers for paper; gold leaf blowers; gold pattern
mills; gold leaf knives; scraper; dimpler; kalip (stencil) pricker;
and penknives.
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Calligrapher’s Toolkit 2
Gilding and illuminating tools. From
left: old drafting set; ground 23K gold; ground 18K gold; raw silk
lika; gold leaf; gold burnisher; dimpling tool.
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Calligrapher’s Toolkit 3
Pens. Top row, from left: celi sulus
pens, bamboo, and porcupine quill ink stirrer. Lower row, from left:
wooden pens for celi talik, celi sulus, and celi talik; bamboo pens;
reed pens from Egypt, Iran, and Turkey; cava thorn pen; pen group for
murakkaas.
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Ebru
Samples of ebru paper in various hatib
and battal styles.
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