Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting, in which letters and characters are formed with brush or pen as a deliberate artistic expression. In the antiques field the term covers Chinese and Japanese brush calligraphy on scrolls and albums, Islamic calligraphy on paper, tiles and metalwork, and Western manuscripts, copybooks and penmanship specimens.
In China, calligraphy has long been regarded as the highest of the visual arts, valued above painting, and works by celebrated scholars and emperors command great respect; examples are usually mounted as hanging or hand scrolls and bear the seals of the writer and later owners. Japanese calligraphy developed from Chinese models and is closely linked to Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony. In the Islamic world, calligraphy is the pre-eminent art, decorating Qur'ans, architecture, ceramics and textiles. Western calligraphy flourished in illuminated manuscripts and was revived in Britain in the early twentieth century, notably by Edward Johnston. Assessing calligraphy requires specialist knowledge of script, seals, paper, mounting and condition, since copies and later reproductions are common. Framed or hung, calligraphy brings a quiet, graphic presence to a library or study.
