Islamic art
Calligraphic design is omnipresent in Islamic art, where, as in Europe in the Middle Ages, religious exhortations, including Qur'anic verses, may be included in secular objects, especially coins, tiles and metalwork, and most painted miniatures include some script, as do many buildings. Use of Islamic calligraphy in architecture extended significantly outside of Islamic territories; one notable example is the use of Chinese calligraphy of Arabic verses from the Qur'an in the Great Mosque of Xi'an. Other inscriptions include verses of poetry, and inscriptions recording ownership or donation. Two of the main scripts involved are the symbolic "kufic" and "naskh" scripts, which can be found adorning and enhancing the visual appeal of the walls and domes of buildings, the sides of minbars, and metalwork. Islamic calligraphy in the form of painting or sculptures are sometimes referred to as "quranic art".
Skara Missal
The Skara Missal is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript, a missal kept in "Stifts- och landsbiblioteket i Skara", a library in Skara, Sweden. It is the oldest surviving missal of this kind in Scandinavia. It is written in Latin, and is in folio format. Only about one eighth of the original remains, or 44 pages. The book was originally bound in a single volume, but is since the 13th or 14th century split into two volumes. One of the volumes is currently part of the permanent exhibition of Västergötland Museum. It was written by two different scribes. It contains text, illuminations and musical notes. The illuminations consist of two full page illustrations, four large decorative initials and a number of smaller ones. Certain traits indicate that the illuminator may have come from Scandinavia.