Cursive Collection

Babar, king of the elephants, and Celeste playing tennis at Celesteville. Illustration from one of Jean de Brunhoffs
BABAR THE ELEPHANT, 1930s. Babar, king of the elephants, and Celeste playing tennis at Celesteville. Illustration from one of Jean de Brunhoffs Babar books, 1930s

STAMP, 1845. New York Postmasters Provisional Stamp

Two Winged Angels, Folio from a Manuscript... c1570. Creator: Unknown
Two Winged Angels, Folio from a Manuscript of Al-Qazwini's Ajaib Al-Makhluqat, c1570

Chinese poem in cursive writing by the old man Kyosho, between 1800 and 1850. Creator: Nin Tachihara
Chinese poem in cursive writing by the old man Kyosho, between 1800 and 1850

No. 12: The Miner's Caradle, Eldorado - photographer, E.A.Sather, Dawson City, Alaska and Tacoma, Washington
3671347 No. 12: The Miner's Caradle, Eldorado - photographer, E.A.Sather, Dawson City, Alaska and Tacoma, Washington, undated (b/w photo) by Sather, E. A

Liber Sextus Decretalium (Fragment)
Leaf from a copy of the Liber Sextus Decretalium or Decretals of Pope Boniface VIII, parchment. Main body text in two columns in a cursive documentary script

Legal Text? (Fragment)
Two fragments from the same manuscript, parchment. Original text unknown. Text is in a cursive documentary script in brown in a single column recto and verso on both fragments

Philosophical Treatise (Fragment)
Half of a leaf, paper. Text in black in three columns in a cursive documentary script. It is heavily abbreviated but appears to be a philosophical text. The top half of the leaf is missing

List?
Single folio, paper, with numbered paragraphs on the recto, possibly an itemised list. Blank on the verso. Text in a German cursive in brown ink, no line rulings. Date: 15th Century

Charter (Fragment)
Fragment of a charter, parchment, apparently recording the sale of a house by (-) Wingartman and his wife in the neighbourhood of Trier in the year (13-)

Charter (Fragments)
Charter recording a mortgage for a house, cut into two pieces for use as book binding material. On parchment. Text in dark brown-black ink in a gothic cursive hand

Hieratic papyrus. Process document. Conspirator death lawsui
Hieratic papyrus. Cursive writing system, used in Ancient Egypt. Process document. Conspirator death lawsuit against Ramses III Egyptian Museum of Turin. Italy

Book of what is in the netherworld (Amduat). Egypt
Book of what is in the netherworld (Amduat). Papyrus. Cursive hieroglyphic. Third Intermediate Period. 21st Dynasty. 1075-944 BC. Thebes. Neues Museum. Berlin. Germany

3rd Century BC 4th Ancient Age Ancient Egypt
3rd, century, BC, 4th, ancient, age, Ancient, Egypt, Egyptians, antiquity, Art, Berlin, boat, book, Book, of, the, Death, civilisation, civilization, cursive, dead, death, decessed, Detail, died

Book of the Death of the mistress Neferini. Papyrus. Egypt
Book of the Death of the mistress Neferini. Papyrus. Cursive hieroglyphic. Ptolemaic Kingdom. 4th-1st century BC. Achmim, Egypt. Neues Museum. Berlin. Germany

Akashi Bay, late 18th century (ink on paper sized with mica)
5321963 Akashi Bay, late 18th century (ink on paper sized with mica) by Ike (Tokuyama) Gyokuran (1727-84); 21.6x44.5 cm; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN

Signature of Ludvig van Beethoven (pen & ink)
KW417975 Signature of Ludvig van Beethoven (pen & ink) by Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827); Private Collection; (add.info.: Beethoven (1770-1827), German composer and pianist; ); German

Calligraphy (ink on paper)
1763731 Calligraphy (ink on paper) by Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) (1866-1925); 176x93 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Dedicated to Liu Guansan (1872-1925)); Photo eChristies Images; Chinese

A surimono of a girl holding a book, from the series Seven Sages for Shofudai
1108998 A surimono of a girl holding a book, from the series Seven Sages for Shofudai (pen & ink and colour woodblock print) by Hokusai

Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper)
3849890 Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper) by Newton, Isaac (1642-1727); Trinity College, Cambridge

A surimono of a girl reading a handscroll, from the series
1108997 A surimono of a girl reading a handscroll, from the series Seven Sages for Shofudai (pen & ink and colour woodblock print) by Hokusai

Collection of Pictures of the Actors in the Four Theatres (Shiza yakusha ezukushi)
2972874 Collection of Pictures of the Actors in the Four Theatres (Shiza yakusha ezukushi), vol 2 (woodblock print) by Furuyama Moroshige (fl.1684-1704); 27x17.5 cm; The Art Institute of Chicago, IL

The Crescent Moon And Owl Perched On Pine Branches (colour woodblock print)
739838 The Crescent Moon And Owl Perched On Pine Branches (colour woodblock print) by Hiroshige, Ando or Utagawa (1797-1858); 37.4x12.4 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

Bowl with Horseman and Pseudo-Kufic Insription (fritware with overglaze in lustre)
702601 Bowl with Horseman and Pseudo-Kufic Insription (fritware with overglaze in lustre) by Iranian school (13th century); diam: 21.5 cm; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Calligraphy (ink on paper)
1763730 Calligraphy (ink on paper) by Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) (1866-1925); 176x93 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Dedicated to Liu Guansan (1872-1925)); Photo eChristies Images; Chinese

Letters of election by bailies and council of Queens ferry in favour of the
BAL41837 Letters of election by bailies and council of Queens ferry in favour of the wobster craft within that burgh (pen & ink on vellum) by Scottish School; Private Collection; Scottish

The Tenjin Shrine Scrolls (one of a pair) (detail), Tosa School, 17th century (ink
5846316 The Tenjin Shrine Scrolls (one of a pair) (detail), Tosa School, 17th century (ink, colour & gofun on paper) (see also 5846317) by Japanese School

Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper)
3849892 Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper) by Newton, Isaac (1642-1727); Trinity College, Cambridge

Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper)
3849893 Letter written by Isaac Newton, 28 November 1679 (pen & ink on paper) by Newton, Isaac (1642-1727); Trinity College, Cambridge

Fish and Rocks, mid-to-late 1600s (ink on paper)
5846778 Fish and Rocks, mid-to-late 1600s (ink on paper) by Bada Shanren, Zhu da (c.1624-1705); 29.2x157.4 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH

The Tenjin Shrine Scrolls (one of a pair) (detail), Tosa School, 17th century (ink
5846317 The Tenjin Shrine Scrolls (one of a pair) (detail), Tosa School, 17th century (ink, colour & gofun on paper) (see also 5846316) by Japanese School

Standing courtesan, 1801-05 (ink & colour on paper)
1109000 Standing courtesan, 1801-05 (ink & colour on paper) by Hokusai, Katsushika (1760-1849); 118x30.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Japanese, out of copyright

Ivory pass for Kings Theatre and Opera House, London Haymarket, 1795 (ivory)
2959897 Ivory pass for Kings Theatre and Opera House, London Haymarket, 1795 (ivory) by English School, (18th century); Timothy Millett Collection; English, out of copyright

Calligraphy (ink on paper)
1763729 Calligraphy (ink on paper) by Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) (1866-1925); 176x93 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Dedicated to Liu Guansan (1872-1925)); Photo eChristies Images; Chinese

Plum blossoms, 1894 (ink on paper)
1763726 Plum blossoms, 1894 (ink on paper) by Manchu-Chinese, Empress Cixi (1835-1908); 44x20.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: With three seals)

Pierced Bowl Signed by Hasan al-Qashani, Iran, late 11th-early 12th century. Auspicious words glory, prosperity, blessed power, and mercy to its owner are inscribed in cursive script

Ewer, Iran, second half 13th century. Creator: Unknown
Ewer, Iran, second half 13th century. Naskh calligraphy

Inscribed Pen Box, Iran, 15th century. Creator: Unknown
Inscribed Pen Box, Iran, 15th century. Inscriptions in thuluth and naskh scripts include poetic verses and good wishes to the owner

Cursive hieroglyphic script from a book of the dead, from the Louvres collection

Envelope with sealing wax and one penny stamp, 1848
Envelope with sealing wax from Woodbridge, Suffolk, date stamped 2 June 1848, addressed to J W Candler, 23 Liverpool Terrace, Liverpool Road, Islington, North London

Woman doing automatic writing in a garden -- she is Mrs P Savile of South Norwood, London, who could receive psychic information from an entity called White Cloud

PUCCINI: TURANDOT, 1926. Costume sketch by U. Brunelleschi for the first production, 1926, of Giacomo Puccinis opera Turandot

Detail from Madersa Bouanania in the old medina of Fes, Morocco

Meroitic stela
Sandstone Meroitic stela with one of the longest known texts in meroitic language. Are recognisable the names of the Queen Amanirenas

Example of an early postcard, Argentina, South America
Example of an early postcard from Argentina, South America, postmarked October 1887, addressed with lovely cursive handwriting. Date: 1887

CIVIL WAR ENVELOPE, 1862. Civil War-era envelope showing a woman pouring a drink for an injured man on the battlefield, 1862

CIVIL WAR LETTER, c1863. American Civil War soldiers letter sponsored by the U.S. Christian Commission, c1863

CIVIL WAR LETTER, c1862. American Civil War soldiers letter from Cuyler U. S. Army Hospital
CIVIL WAR LETTER, c1862. American Civil War soldiers letter from Cuyler U.S. Army Hospital, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, c1862

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"Cursive: A Timeless Art Form Uniting History and Imagination" In the enchanting world of Celesteville, Babar, the beloved king of the elephants, and his dear friend Celeste engage in a friendly game of tennis. This delightful scene comes to life through an exquisite illustration from one of Jean de Brunhoff's iconic Babar books dating back to the 1930s. But cursive goes far beyond children's literature; it has left its mark throughout history. Take for instance the New York Postmasters Provisional Stamp from 1845 - a testament to how cursive was once used even in official documents. The Liber Sextus Decretalium (Fragment), a legal text fragment, showcases how this elegant script was employed in ancient legal systems. Not limited to law alone, it also found its way into philosophical treatises and lists that recorded knowledge and wisdom passed down through generations. Charter fragments reveal glimpses into historical agreements and societal structures shaped by this graceful writing style. Traveling further back in time, we encounter hieratic papyrus documents containing process details or even conspirator death lawsuits - evidence that cursive served practical purposes beyond just aesthetics. Ancient Egypt holds numerous treasures where cursive thrived as well. The Book of what is in the netherworld (Amduat) from the 3rd Century BC offers insights into their beliefs about afterlife while showcasing their mastery over penmanship. Similarly, the Book of Death of Mistress Neferini on papyrus exemplifies how Egyptians preserved stories using this captivating script. Cursive transcends time and place; it embodies our human desire for beauty and expression across cultures and eras. As we appreciate these fragments from history adorned with flowing strokes, let us celebrate cursive as an art form that connects us with our past while igniting our imagination for future possibilities.