Lot 39: A COLLECTION OF SIXTY NINE CALLIGRAPHIC DESIGN LAYOUTS BY SYRIAN CALLIGRAPHERS BADAWI AND HELMI, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

A COLLECTION OF SIXTY NINE CALLIGRAPHIC DESIGN LAYOUTS BY SYRIAN CALLIGRAPHERS BADAWI AND HELMI, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

This archive comprises a collection of 69 sheets containing original calligraphic design mock-ups and proofs, executed in black ink on various coloured cardstock backings, including shades of blue, orange, and cream. The collection serves as an archival record of early-to-mid 20th-century Arabic graphic design from the Levant, specifically focusing on Syria and Lebanon. The designs showcase high-level technical mastery in classical Arabic scripts such as Thuluth, Naskh, and Diwani.

The subject matter includes professional mastheads for publications, most notably for the daily illustrated newspaper Al-Akhbar (الأخبار), and a header reading Great Men of the 20th Century (عظماء الرجال في القرن العشرين). Other designs feature official and ecclesiastical seals, including a circular seal for Joannis Jean Gandor, Metropolite Syrien, dated 1923, and commercial logos such as those for the firm Ajami and Debs in Beirut. Personal business card designs for professionals are also present, including those for Dr Muhammad Zaki and the dentist Jafar Yahya.

Several dates are integrated into the calligraphy, including 1923, 1933, and the Hijri years 1328 (corresponding to 1910) and 1352 (corresponding to 1933). A recurring calligraphic signature appears throughout the collection, applied in ink within or below the primary designs; it is composed of the Arabic characters for Badawi (بدو ي). Per the accompanying documentation, the collection represents the work of master Syrian calligraphers Badawi and Helmi. The items are constructed as paste-ups, with individual calligraphic elements cut from paper and adhered to larger backing sheets which feature hole-punched margins on the right-hand side for binder storage.

Total 69 pages.

32 by 23cm each