Folio from the "Blue Qur'an"

Unknown

second half 9th–mid-10th century · Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment · Islamic Art

This folio comes from a sumptuous, multivolume Qur'an with indigo pages and silver verse markers that was probably copied in North Africa. Its palette is thought to refer to the purple‑dyed, gilded manuscripts made in the neighboring Byzantine empire. As in other early Qur'ans, the script here is difficult to read because the letters have been manipulated to make each line the same length, and the marks necessary to distinguish between letters have been omitted.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half 9th–mid-10th century

Medium

Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2004