Pen-cutting rest (makta)

The cutting and correct preparation of a qalam (reed pen) was, and still is nowadays, an essential skill for a calligrapher to learn and master. While the cutting and shaping of the qalam essentially requires a knife and a hard surface to cut off the tip of the nib, craftmen from the Islamic world progressively developed a set of technical tool to aid and elevate the work of the calligraphers. Among these tools are maktas (lit. "place to cut"), small pen cutting slabs, whose shapes can vary from simple flat tablet to artistically elaborate miniature artworks. Various materials are employed to make maqtas, from metal (often steel) to organic, animal-based materials, such as tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, bone, and elephant ivory. This particular Ottoman example presents a flamboyant openwork decoration of floral and vegetal motifs entirely carved out of ivory. As for many other carefully crafted tools from the calligrapher's kit, the artistry of this makta clearly exceeds mere functionality and well illustrates the high prestige of calligraphy across the Islamic world. Several maktas dating to the Ottoman period are made of ivory: its extensive usage is indicative of the growing political and economical control on the trade routes of East Africa that the Ottomans gained from the early modern era onwards.