Treatise of Calligraphy - Kebecizade Mehmet Vasfi Efendi (BOOK)

This treatise on calligraphy, attributed to Aslı Mehmed bin Tâceddin, was originally given to him in Van by an individual named Ali Efendi to be translated into Turkish. The work came into being through Mehmed bin Tâceddin’s translation of the treatise from Persian into Turkish, along with his own additions. In our treatise, in addition to extensive theoretical information regarding the thuluth script, the anatomical structures of the letters are explained using the dot-measurement method. Furthermore, the müfredât (individual letters), mürekkebât (compound letters), and various forms of letters are illustrated with examples. The purpose of publishing this work, which was widely accepted in the practice of thuluth script and copied numerous times, is to present these ancient methods—transferred from teacher to student and from generation to generation—all in one place. This work is highly significant as it was penned by Kebecizâde Mehmed Vasfi Efendi, a great master who stood out for his teaching prowess during his era. A student of Ebûbekir Râşid Efendi from Konya, the calligrapher trained many students, most notably Sultan Mahmud II. Leading a prolific life, the calligrapher wrote twenty copies of the Holy Quran, three copies of Shifa-i Sharif, over one hundred and fifty copies of Dala'il al-Khayrat, approximately two hundred and fifty prayer books, commentaries on Pend, the Nefeszâde Treatise, Amma juzes, around four hundred and fifty Hilye-i Sharifs, and hundreds of calligraphic panels. In essence, many contemporary calligraphers are also connected to this lineage through the master's student Çömez Mustafa Efendi, his student Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi, his student Şefik Bey, his student Hasan Rıza Efendi, and his student, one of our Republic-era calligraphers, Mustafa Halim Özyazıcı. With the prayer that this may serve as an act of mercy for all our past masters who served Islamic arts and left us many beautiful works...