SELJUK IRAN, LATE 12TH OR EARLY 13TH CENTURY

Details

Massive Qur'an
Seljuk Iran, late 12th or early 13th Century
Manuscript on cream paper, 462ff. with 11ll. of strong black muhaqqaq, gold and red roundels between verses, gold and red vase-shaped marker in margin every fifth verse, similar large roundel every tenth verse, text area of first three folios with red margins with gold interlaced arabesques, sura headings in white Eastern kufic on gold panels with coloured spandrels with arabesque decoration, or in gold Eastern kufic with panels of gold arabesques on red ground, each juz marked in white or gold Eastern kufic within differently shaped panels on contrasting coloured ground with white arabesques outlined with gold, the mid-point of the Qur'an marked with a large heading panel with a central lobed medallion with the sura heading in gold Eastern kufic on blue ground within a rectangular gold panel issuing a gold medallion into the margin with the words al-mulk Allah in white, sura al-Ikhlas framed within gold and red illuminated ropework with illuminated heading, part of opening and final two suras missing, Persian interlinear translation throughout, marginal annotations in Persian, wear and tear to edges of folios, light staining, in later brown morocco binding with tooled medallions, rather worn
Folio 175/8 x 115/8in. (44.8 x 30.3cm.)

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Lot Essay

This huge Qur'an is remarkable for its sumptuous illumination. The roundels with rope motifs, vase-shaped markers with trerfoil finials and stars are all within the repertoire of Seljuk ornament. The colours used are predominantly crimson, turquoise and gold; these colours are remarkably similar to the palette of a type of ceramic produced at this time in Kashan known as Mina'i ware, just before the Mongol invasions.

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