Inks and Paints of the Abbasid World
An online talk with With Joumana Medlej
On Thursday 7th May 2026 4-6pm BST
Recording of the live session will be until the 7th August 2026
This highly visual introduction to the art technology of the medieval Islamic world will take you on a sweeping overview of the materials commonly used in that tradition, based on Joumana’s study of tenth to thirteenth-century Arabic handbooks and her experience re-creating ink recipes from them. You will learn not only about pigments and dyes, but also about substances used for special effects, preservation and fragrance. The talk will also highlight ways in which Middle-eastern book artists and calligraphers prepared and stored colours differently than their European counterparts.
A PDF handout is included.
About Joumana Medlej
Joumana Medlej is an artist-scholar from Lebanon, working at the intersection of creation and research. After an early career in design, she’s spent two decades studying and reconstructing the forgotten scripts of early Arabic calligraphy, which are now a hallmark of her art practice. She’s also known for making her own art materials based on historical methods and local foraging. Joumana’s written two handbooks on art technology and now draws on her maker’s experience to translate medieval Arabic inkmaking treatises into English, bringing the voices of past masters to a general audience.Anna works and lives in Westcliff-on-Sea, UK