SIGNED 'ABDULLAH IBN HAFIZ MUHAMMAD SHIRAZI, SAFAVID SHIRAZ, IRAN, DATED 25 RAMADAN AH 933/5 JULY 1527 AD

This copy of the Qur’an with its elegant illumination, was produced during the height of manuscript production in Safavid Shiraz. The calligrapher responsible for this work is 'Abdullah Ibn Hafiz Muhammad Shirazi. Although Shiraz was known for producing many illuminated and illustrated manuscripts, only a few calligraphers are known by name. The costly nature of this manuscript is evident from its opulent decoration, exceptional script quality, and exquisite binding. It is likely that the scribe who created this manuscript was contemporaneous with Ruzbihan, one of the most renowned scribe-illuminators of Shiraz during the first half of the 16th century (David James, After Timur, Oxford, 1992, p.144). According to James, Ruzbihan's dated manuscripts range from 1514 to 1547. The illumination style of this manuscript is strikingly similar to those produced by Ruzbihan, indicating that the scribe and illuminator who created this manuscript was likely influenced and inspired by the fashion established by Ruzbihan for luxury copies of the Quran at that time. For another lavishly illuminated Safavid copy of the Quran please refer to lots 27 and 35 in this catalogue.