Kufic
クーフィー体 / 8th century onward / Style / Calligraphic Traditions
Keeps the uprights short and draws the horizontals long, massing letters of straight strokes and right angles into a band of even height.
Horizontals drawn long / Short angular uprights / Letters turning at right angles / Lines massed into an even band
Dictionary entry
- Best used for
- Cutting an inscription into a wall or a vessel as a band · Using the angular letterforms as figure, for titling and marks meant to be read from a distance
- Type
- Fix the ratio of upright to horizontal first, and turn every corner at a right angle
- Composition
- Align the top and the foot of the line, space the uprights evenly, and run the letters as a band
- Material
- Cut into stone, brick and tile, and on parchment hold the stroke to an even weight with the reed pen
- Caution
- Copying only the right angles while breaking the joins between letters leaves an ornamental band that no longer reads as a word.
- Further study
- Ibn Muqla's proportional theory / the Six Scripts / the tughra and official documents
Related entries
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/kufic
- Markdown
- [Kufic — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/kufic)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/kufic">Kufic — IndexStyle</a>
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