NASRID SPAIN, 13TH CENTURY

Details

A PINK QUR'AN FOLIO
NASRID SPAIN, 13TH CENTURY
Arabic manuscript on paper, Qur'an XXXV, sura al-fatir, v. 45 (part) to Qur'an XXXVI, sura ya-sin, v.1, the folio with 5ll. of sepia maghribi, diacritics in gold, shadda and sukun in cobalt blue, hamza marked by yellow dots, gold and polychrome roundel verse markers, sura heading in gold kufic reserved against gold and polychrome panel issuing marginal medallion, the words hubus ('endowed') added to the top corner with pin pricks
Folio 12 x 9in. (30.4 x 22.8cm.)

Provenance

London trade by 2000

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The dyed paper, elaborate illumination, and bold Maghribi of this folio indicate that it was once part of the so-called 'Pink Qur'an', written in the 13th century. While parchment remained the preferred material for Qur’an manuscripts in North Africa into the 19th century, in Spain a paper industry had thrived since the first paper mill was established in Xàtiva, near Valencia, as early as the 12th century.

A section comprising 205 folios from this manuscript was sold at the Hotel George V, Paris, 30 October 1975, lot 488, and subsequently appeared at Sotheby's, 14 April 1976, lot 247. More recently, a continuous section of 13 folios was sold in these Rooms on 26 October 2023, lot 48.

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