The Tablet and the Pen: Drawings from the Islamic World

The Tablet and the Pen explores the development of drawing as an independent artistic medium in Islamic art. Focusing on examples from Turkey, Iran, and India, this exhibition of 28 works emphasizes aspects of technique while illuminating the historical circumstances that affected the development of this medium. It examines the role played by drawing in the design of paintings, textiles, and metalwork; the increased demand for and production of single-sheet drawings in the 16th and 17th centuries; and the numerous ways in which drawings served as catalysts for artistic experiment. Speaking to a growing interest in Islamic drawing, The Tablet and the Pen offers an opportunity to understand how this medium emerged as a powerful and dynamic mode of expression in the eastern Islamic lands. A brochure accompanies this exhibition.

Organized by Ladan Akbarnia and Chanchal Dadlani, Ph.D. candidates, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University, with David J. Roxburgh, professor of history of art and architecture, Harvard University, and Mary McWilliams, Norma Jean Calderwood Curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Arthur M. Sackler Museum.