Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript

Unknown

probably 9th century · Ink on parchment · Islamic Art

The tradition of dyed manuscripts developed in Byzantium for making valuable books, such as the Gospels. The technique continued into the early Islamic period, with the Blue Qur’an as its most spectacular manifestation. Tinted pages were used only in the most luxurious manuscripts, for they required extra work in preparing the already expensive parchment with precious pigments. Here, pages dyed red support a dense, regular script completed in a plain ink. This folio can be dated to the early Islamic period thanks to its simple kufic calligraphy. This script lacks the vowels or diacritical marks typical of the later, more developed written form of Arabic.

Artist

Unknown

Date

probably 9th century

Medium

Ink on parchment

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1940