The Pen
The Pen
Artist
Fatima Yiying Cao.
Artwork Title & Inspiration
‘The Pen’.
Inspired by the first verse from the Holy Qur’an chapter ‘The Pen’ [68:1]. The verse is commonly translated as ‘Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe’.
Arabic: ن والقلم وما يسطرون
Transliteration: Noon walqalami wama yasturoon.
Artwork Category
Calligraphy.
Physical Description
Hangable Chinese scroll with lower wooden cylindrical bar. Calligraphed in Sini script using Chinese black ink on traditional xuan paper (宣紙 /rice paper), surrounded with royal beige silk-based brocade.
Dimensions
61.5 x 162 cm (Scroll).
Country of Origin
China.
LOT 82
Fatima Yiying Cao
Fatima Yiying Cao (b. 1965) studied Islamic studies under Mai Rongxi, one of the most respected Chinese Imams, as well as Arabic at the Language and Culture University of Beijing. She is married to the world-renowned Chinese master calligrapher Haji Noor Deen.
As a result of many years’ work and practice, Fatima is well known as one of the few female calligraphers in China. She is also one of the few female Imams in China, and served at the Baizhai Mosque in Henan province for over five years. Fatima previously studied in Cairo for three years at Al-Azhar University, majoring in Islamic Studies.
In 2012, one of the largest Muslim community bodies in California, the MCA (Muslim Community Association, located in San Jose) invited Fatima for a lecture on Islamic culture with an Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition. She has also been invited to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where she was honored to join an event on the relationship between Arabic calligraphy and Chinese Muslim women. In February 2014, together with her husband she held a large Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition and gave several lectures in Mauritius, Malaysia, Ireland, UK, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Fatima currently teaches at a Sunday School in Beixiajie Mosque located in her home city of Zhengzhou in Henan province in China.