This Ottoman Tortoiseshell and Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Calligrapher's Pen Box from 17th Century, Turkey is one the artifacts that resonated with me and inspired my ‘Shadows and Patterns’ furniture collection. These type of boxes belonged to an elite group as well as revered calligraphers. They reflect the status of the owner as well as pay tribute to the writing tool and the act of Arabic (Islamic) calligraphy itself.

The development of Islamic calligraphy is strongly tied to the Qur'an; chapters and excerpts from the Qur'an are a common and almost universal text upon which Islamic calligraphy is based. Deep religious association with the Qur'an, as well as suspicion of figurative art as idolatrous, has led calligraphy to become one of the major forms of artistic expression in Islamic cultures.

This Finial in the form of a Parrot is one of five artifacts that inspired the first ‘Shadows & Patterns’ collection. It is made of brass and dates back to the 17th-18th century, Mughal India. "The strong sculptural traditions of pre-Islamic India continued to some extent during the later period, when figural elements such as this parrot were used as finials and other types of embellishment. The informal choice of subject and the simplicity of style suggest that this piece probably belonged in a provincial, rather than imperial, court setting. Ubiquitous in Indian life and often depicted in Mughal and Deccan paintings, parrots were also known in literature of the Mughal period, such as in the Tutinama (Tales of a Parrot)." This parrot is on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.