Bilingual Coptic-Arabic Psalm

Unknown

17th–18th century · Ink on paper · Islamic Art

This bilingual Coptic-Arabic text of Psalm 15 has an interesting layout. The folio consists of two columns of text: the wide one on the left is written in Coptic while the narrow one on the right is an Arabic translation of the text. Greek-Arabic liturgical texts appeared as early as the 9th century, with several examples today preserved at the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, Egypt; Coptic-Arabic diglots, such as this one, were copied later in Egypt, and are noted for their colorful illustrations.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th–18th century

Medium

Ink on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Dr. Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, in loving memory of her husband, Professor Maan Z. Madina, 2019