A Manuscript of Five Sections of a Qur'an

Unknown

18th century · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; leather binding, stamped and gilded · Islamic Art

Two lavishly illuminated double pages open and close this juz' (section) from a Qur'an, which was bound in finely worked leather. The intricate geometric and vegetal decoration of this illumination is conservative and the calligraphy employed here represents a type of script that was almost unchanged in North Africa since the twelfth century, but the rectangular format, the use of paper, and the varied color palette of the illumination are characteristic of the manuscript’s late date.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; leather binding, stamped and gilded

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Gift of George Blumenthal, by exchange, 1982