A Qur'an leaf in gold Kufic script on vellum, Near...
text: surah Nuh (LXXI), middle of verse 4 - middle of verse 7
Arabic manuscript on vellum, 5 lines to the page written in gold Kufic script, letter pointing (i'jam) in thin brown dashes, vocalisation in red, green and blue dots, verses separated by gold rosettes, khams marked by a gold and blue roundel
14.5 by 20.2cm.
Condition Report:
As shown in the illustration, there are losses to the edges of the leaf and minor staining, mainly to the margins. The script remains clear and legible and the gold bright on both sides of the leaf. Light creases to the vellum. Recto with a small area of abrasion to the lower left margin with minor associated repair. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
This Qur’an leaf comes from an unusually luxurious manuscript of the Qur’an written entirely in gold. The technique of chrysography was a demanding process that required the calligrapher to first outline the letters in a fine brown ink, before infilling the pre-determined outline in gold as accurately as possible. The process was a lengthy and expensive one indicating a commission at the very highest level of patronage, hence the rarity of these luxury gold-script manuscripts.
The Qur'an from which this folio originates, now widely dispersed in numerous institutions and private collections, has been attributed to both Kairouan (Martin Lings and Yasin Safadi, The Qur’an, London, 1976, nos.16-17; T. Falk (ed.), Treasures of Islam, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, 1985, no.1), and also Central and Eastern Islamic lands. The latter due to the so-called Eastern abjad system used in the verse count of this Qur'an, as argued by Stanley (Tim Stanley, The Qur'an and Calligraphy, Bernard Quaritch 1213, p.18). Other leaves and sections from the same Qur'an are in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Tunis; The National Institute of Archaeology, Tunis; Beit al-Qur'an, Bahrain, and the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London. For other folios sold in these rooms, see 31 March 2021, lot 1; 6 April 2011, lots 165 and 170; 5 October 2010, lots 8 and 9.
Provenance:
Christie's, London, 23 October 2007, lot 3
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text: surah Nuh (LXXI), middle of verse 4 - middle of verse 7
Arabic manuscript on vellum, 5 lines to the page written in gold Kufic script, letter pointing (i'jam) in thin brown dashes, vocalisation in red, green and blue dots, verses separated by gold rosettes, khams marked by a gold and blue roundel
14.5 by 20.2cm.
Condition Report:
As shown in the illustration, there are losses to the edges of the leaf and minor staining, mainly to the margins. The script remains clear and legible and the gold bright on both sides of the leaf. Light creases to the vellum. Recto with a small area of abrasion to the lower left margin with minor associated repair. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
This Qur’an leaf comes from an unusually luxurious manuscript of the Qur’an written entirely in gold. The technique of chrysography was a demanding process that required the calligrapher to first outline the letters in a fine brown ink, before infilling the pre-determined outline in gold as accurately as possible. The process was a lengthy and expensive one indicating a commission at the very highest level of patronage, hence the rarity of these luxury gold-script manuscripts.
The Qur'an from which this folio originates, now widely dispersed in numerous institutions and private collections, has been attributed to both Kairouan (Martin Lings and Yasin Safadi, The Qur’an, London, 1976, nos.16-17; T. Falk (ed.), Treasures of Islam, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, 1985, no.1), and also Central and Eastern Islamic lands. The latter due to the so-called Eastern abjad system used in the verse count of this Qur'an, as argued by Stanley (Tim Stanley, The Qur'an and Calligraphy, Bernard Quaritch 1213, p.18). Other leaves and sections from the same Qur'an are in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Tunis; The National Institute of Archaeology, Tunis; Beit al-Qur'an, Bahrain, and the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London. For other folios sold in these rooms, see 31 March 2021, lot 1; 6 April 2011, lots 165 and 170; 5 October 2010, lots 8 and 9.
Provenance:
Christie's, London, 23 October 2007, lot 3
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
