A large illuminated Qur’an, copied by Mujannad ibn Ibrahim al-Aqushi,...
Arabic manuscript on paper, 547 leaves, 9 lines to the page written in naskh in black ink, ruled in purple, verses separated by red roundels, further text divisions marked by polychrome marginal roundels, surah headings in red flanked by a marginal medallion with arabesques, the opening bifolium with prayers on a ground of polychrome serrated leaves framed by floral vine, the two following bifolia with polychrome illuminated framing text, colophon signed and dated, followed by prayers, in brown leather binding with flap
42.1 by 31.5cm.
Condition Report:
The text clear and legible throughout. Areas of discolouration, mainly to the margins, consistent with use. Areas of smudging and occasional colour run causing staining to the text panels. Minor scuffs, tears and small losses to the edges of the text block. A small number of loose leaves. The decoration clear overall, with some scattered losses and smudging, as shown in the illustration. The illumination includes gold pigments that have oxidised. The binding stable with some surface wear. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
Manuscripts of this group were previously attributed to South East Asia due to the presence of spurious colophons on a small group of similar Qur’ans. However, Shikhsaidov and Gallop have since reattributed a number of these manuscripts to Dagestan on account of key features such as the use of Russian paper, and fragments containing Cyrillic script found within the pages of one example (Shikhsaidov 2007 and Gallop 2008). The scribe of the present manuscript bears the nisba 'al-Aqushi' referring to Aqusha in Dagestan.
This large manuscript displays key features that are associated with Dagestan Qur’ans. Among them, Shikhsaidov notes a distinctive form of backwards sloping naskh, that Jan Just Witkam evocatively described as a “bold script of wildness and beauty” in regard to a Dagestan Qur’an in the Leiden University Library (inv. no.Or.11.964, see Witkam 2007, p.278). The confident and energetic script used by the scribe of the present manuscript clearly follows in this tradition.
The wildness of the script is complemented by organically drawn illumination in a palette of vibrant orange, soft turquoise and deep cobalt-blue in the three opening bifolia. The illuminator and calligrapher take a playful approach to the decoration by adopting a markedly different layout in each composition. The opening bifolium, in particular, plays with the scale of the manuscript with four exaggerated lines of bold calligraphy written with a vigor that is reflected by a ground of swirling leaves and flowers. The turquoise arabesque frame of the third bifolium bears a close resemblance to the illumination of another monumental Qur’an produced in Dagestan, sold in these rooms, 25 October 2023, lot 2.
View it on
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Arabic manuscript on paper, 547 leaves, 9 lines to the page written in naskh in black ink, ruled in purple, verses separated by red roundels, further text divisions marked by polychrome marginal roundels, surah headings in red flanked by a marginal medallion with arabesques, the opening bifolium with prayers on a ground of polychrome serrated leaves framed by floral vine, the two following bifolia with polychrome illuminated framing text, colophon signed and dated, followed by prayers, in brown leather binding with flap
42.1 by 31.5cm.
Condition Report:
The text clear and legible throughout. Areas of discolouration, mainly to the margins, consistent with use. Areas of smudging and occasional colour run causing staining to the text panels. Minor scuffs, tears and small losses to the edges of the text block. A small number of loose leaves. The decoration clear overall, with some scattered losses and smudging, as shown in the illustration. The illumination includes gold pigments that have oxidised. The binding stable with some surface wear. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
Manuscripts of this group were previously attributed to South East Asia due to the presence of spurious colophons on a small group of similar Qur’ans. However, Shikhsaidov and Gallop have since reattributed a number of these manuscripts to Dagestan on account of key features such as the use of Russian paper, and fragments containing Cyrillic script found within the pages of one example (Shikhsaidov 2007 and Gallop 2008). The scribe of the present manuscript bears the nisba 'al-Aqushi' referring to Aqusha in Dagestan.
This large manuscript displays key features that are associated with Dagestan Qur’ans. Among them, Shikhsaidov notes a distinctive form of backwards sloping naskh, that Jan Just Witkam evocatively described as a “bold script of wildness and beauty” in regard to a Dagestan Qur’an in the Leiden University Library (inv. no.Or.11.964, see Witkam 2007, p.278). The confident and energetic script used by the scribe of the present manuscript clearly follows in this tradition.
The wildness of the script is complemented by organically drawn illumination in a palette of vibrant orange, soft turquoise and deep cobalt-blue in the three opening bifolia. The illuminator and calligrapher take a playful approach to the decoration by adopting a markedly different layout in each composition. The opening bifolium, in particular, plays with the scale of the manuscript with four exaggerated lines of bold calligraphy written with a vigor that is reflected by a ground of swirling leaves and flowers. The turquoise arabesque frame of the third bifolium bears a close resemblance to the illumination of another monumental Qur’an produced in Dagestan, sold in these rooms, 25 October 2023, lot 2.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
