Joumana Medlej
@majnouna
Artist-scholar, specialised in early Arabic (Kufi) scripts & historical/natural materials. Interest in material culture & things real. Beirut émigré in Oxford. Earth lover, plastic-free. Contemplative. Whovian/Gallifrey… Links:
I'm continuing to transcribe Umda manuscripts in preparation for working on the edition, and I just typed half a paragraph before realising I didn't switch the keyboard 🤦♀️
I know this isn’t what you want to see on the eve of another heatwave, but woohoo it’s done! I only started this darn thing in april… 2024 🙈 Pattern: Jura by Trin-Annelie #knitting
New on #Caravanserai: A close-up look at some wonderful objects currently on display at the exhibition: Embroidery Traditions of #Afghanistan majnouna.substack.com/p/embroidery... #textiles #womensart #embroidery
I went for an early morning walk by the river. The highlight: several minutes listening to two sparrowhawks (all recorded, wish I could post audio files!) I didn't manage to see them but I roughly know where their nest is, so I'll be back... #birdwatch
Progress report: one pocket to go! Totally lost count of the number of Poirot episodes. #knitting
Coming to London to catch a show feels indulgent but it does wonders for inspiration! Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan at SOAS (will write a piece on this soon) and Miya Ando at Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
want to learn more about Kufi than book knowledge can convey, I've just uploaded a major talk I gave last year: youtu.be/vWls05pxI6w For an even closer look here's a longer lecture I gave at the Khalili Research Institute in Oxford: youtu.be/hwswRkDN3A0
I wasn’t expecting to still find plums but I was happily surprised! These are so ripe and simply divine. I’m making ice cream (plum-rum-cardamom) with those I’m not just gobbling up. #foraging
Turns out this sleeve that was abandoned half-done nearly two years ago (🙈) only needed four Poirot episodes to be done. Let’s see what the second sleeve will take…
That day when I was looking through a 14th-century romance. First impression: That's not a very good stag, is it... Closer look: OMG LOOOOOL #medievalmanuscripts
I’m told this is Simpkin IV, chief mouser of Hertford College… A bit of a misanthrope but who can blame him.
Another old photo I've dug up: dye tests on silk. The thread dyed with pomegranate flower is shown next to a swatch of ink made with the same, illustrating the fact dyeing with a colourant and applying it to the surface usually result in very different hues. #naturaldyes
Drain or remove with slotted spoon, run some cold water to rinse off the last traces of lemon juice, and let cool. This is called Areeshe (قريشة), which is cottage cheese. It's often served in restaurants on its own with just a drizzle of honey. 4/8
Step 1: Heat 1.5L (6C) milk, stirring often, till it starts steaming and you just see bubbles around the pot. Switch off heat. Add juice of 1 lemon and stir. Allow curds to form. 3/8
Dug up these photos: roasting yellow ochre to redden it, before and after. A geological process that can be recreated in a pan. (Red ochre is essentially dehydrated yellow ochre.)
Nearly having a stroke seeing this crossover of fairytale and propaganda presented as history for the purpose of clout-chasing. Particularly as I gave an in-depth talk for the benefit of these people last year. Never again… If you can bear gilded horseshit, it's here www.instagram.com/p/DbQpAv6twm6/
Learning about the Melsonby Hoard at the Yorkshire Museum. The whole thing’s amazing, but what really caught my eye is the way copper vessels corroded way past verdigris to turn jnto copper carbonates —malachite and even azurite!
And please enjoy the expression on this cat who’s being carried in a most unorthodox way. “Unhand me, madam.”
Two adorable details: a cat causing a commotion by pouncing on a courtesan’s trailing kimono, and another, “puppy-patterned” kimono 🥺
I also loved this one: Kitagawa Utamaro’s Block-Carver and Applying Sizing, 1803, where he replaced the usual craftsmen of the print studio with elegant women. We see them carving woodblocks, sharpening cutting tools, and sizing paper before hanging it to dry.
the evacuation of the castle during the great fire of 1844. The guards wear black and white uniforms and carry naginata, bladed weapons with a long shaft that were particularly favoured by samurai women.” ✊ Check out the embossing work in this detail!!
Here’s one panel from an amazing triptych by Hashimoto Chikanobu: Evacuation of Chiyoda Palace, 1896. “An elite guard of female samurai were responsible for protecting the women who occupied the inner palace of Chiyoda Castle, the seat of power in Edo-period Japan. They are shown here overseeing —
They do have a Great Wave from the *original print run* on display and that alone was worth the trip.
Turning my thoughts away from the bad-to-worse political scene, to once again focus on transcribing the various witnesses of an 11th-century inkmaking manual (as I'm confirmed to start editing it come September) – and it's amazing the peace I feel copying instructions for making gold burnishers…