Calligraphy, beautiful writing is the art of forming well the characters of handwriting.
In the West, the art of copyist monks, but also of great calligraphers, was intended to contribute to the prestige of sovereigns and aristocracy. A research work for a perfect creation that served above all the glory of their sponsors. The notion of calligraphy purely "aesthetic" is more recent and dates largely from the contemporary era.
Calligraphic art has been developed for centuries in many cultures as in the Middle East and the Far East with specific techniques of realization and specific to each tradition.