Can any other form of communication be as laden with promise or savoured with such anticipation as an envelope elegantly addressed in calligraphy? Spying such correspondence on the doormat provokes a frisson of excitement that the sound of an email notification from your device will never rival. Furthermore, it isn’t just the boast-worthy content – an invitation to a day’s shooting, a drinks party or a wedding – that prompts us to prop it on the mantelpiece. Much of the appeal is in the opportunity to admire the handiwork and artistry, too.
Since the end of the 18th century, when Edward Johnston, widely regarded as the father of modern calligraphy, and artists and designers such as William Morris brought it to wider attention, calligraphy has enjoyed a revival. More recently, high-profile champions of the style, including the Duchess of Sussex, have sparked a further resurgence. In the Middle East and East Asia, it is categorised as ‘high art’, the most superior art form, and consequently is much sought after.
In September, thieves stole a calligraphy scroll by the former Communist leader Mao Zedong from an art collector’s home. It was discovered in Hong Kong a month later but as it had reportedly been mistaken for a fake and deemed too long to display it had been slashed in half, simultaneously inflicting similar damage on its value. As paper cuts go, this was more excruciating than most; it had originally been estimated at £230 million.
This story is from the December 2020 edition of The Field.
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This story is from the December 2020 edition of The Field.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
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