Title: A Monumental and Beautiful Abbasid Qur’an, Circa 1175-1200, Iraq. Substantial 27 Leaf Section of a 12th Century Arabic Illuminated Manuscript on Fine Paper, Likely Used for Leading Prayers. With 67 Magnificent and Massive Illuminated Medallions and Countless Gold Verse Markers and additional Decorations
Condition: Good
A rather impressive gathering of leaves from what a monumental and beautifully illuminated Abbasid Qur’an, produced in the late 12th century, likely in Iraq.
The manuscript is written in a sepia ink, in an early Rayhani script, one which is still surprisingly easier to read than some Naskh scripts. For context, Reyhani is one of the major canonical scripts of Perso-Arabic calligraphy, first developed by the calligrapher Ibn al-Bawwab, sometime around the very late 10th or early 11th century. It has been often likened as a finer variant of Muhaqqaq script.
This manuscript is beautifully illuminated, with 67 magnificent, illuminated medallions and other large devices serving as verse-counts and division markers. Each medallion has a diameter of 6cm, while the other devices can be as tall as 10cm in height. There are countless gold roundel verse markers throughout, as well as many smaller gold rosettes between verses as well.
There are illuminated roundel verse markers decorated with blue dots, illuminated rectangular and circular devices in the margins, and diacritic symbols and vowel markers as well. Even as an unbound gathering, it truly shines as a monumental example among Quranic manuscripts.
It should be noted, that while most Qur’ans were written on paper by the 11th century, it was not done using the type of laid paper introduced to Europe in the 12th century. Rather, it has a surprisingly strong quality and glossy surface to it, and it has not been uncommon for the average layperson to mistake it for vellum. Unsurprisingly, this type of paper was admittedly still expensive for the period.
The manuscript itself was acquired from a private London collector, who purchased it sometime during the 1970s to 1980s. Sister leaves from this very same manuscript have sold at Christies during the April 7th, 2006, sale of Indian and Islamic Works of Art, and the Bonhams Islamic Works of Art Sales of October 2000 and 2001 (Referred to as an Important Qur’an). It is not entirely confirmed who has acquired these leaves, or whether they are all different parties.
The manuscript is written in a 12-line format.
One illuminated manuscript on glossed paper, 27 large leaves (Each measuring roughly 43 x 32.1 cm)
This manuscript is in good shape, with some staining to the paper, some heavier to the margins, others heavier within the text. All leaves have undergone various degrees of restoration work, with the margins being especially reinforced, and small holes or tears being professionally repaired. Two leaves in particular are more worn and degraded to the margins, with one suffering minor text loss. A few of the illuminated medallions have been affected by the margin restorations or are partially lacking. Judging by the light remnants of white cardboard to a few margins, it can be assumed that these leaves were once mounted and framed by a prior owner. For the best condition impression, please refer to the full gallery of photos.