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Lot Essay
The red and green scrolling illumination above the text panel on the opening bifolium is typical of Dagestani illumination dating from the 18th and 19th Centuries. This manuscript is closely related to a group of Qur'ans which share almost identical illumination which have on occasion been attributed to South East Asia and in particular to Brunei. The basis for the attributions to South East Asia has been colophons dedicating Qur'an manuscripts to the Sultan of Brunei. Unfortunately these have probably mostly been added to the manuscripts at a later date.
Our Qur'an has a colophon that appears to it to AH 1070/1660-61 AD. However it is written on two types of Russian watermarked paper dateable to 1811 and 1814, (Uchastkina, A History of Russian hand paper-mills and their watermarks, Hilversum: The Paper Publications Society, 1962). This discrepancy in dating confirms that our colophon is in fact added.
For a further discussion on the attribution of these Qur'ans see A.T. Gallop, 'From Caucasia to Southeast Asia', in, Manuscripta Orientalia, St. Petersburg, Vol. 14 No. 1, June 2008).
Our Qur'an has a colophon that appears to it to AH 1070/1660-61 AD. However it is written on two types of Russian watermarked paper dateable to 1811 and 1814, (Uchastkina, A History of Russian hand paper-mills and their watermarks, Hilversum: The Paper Publications Society, 1962). This discrepancy in dating confirms that our colophon is in fact added.
For a further discussion on the attribution of these Qur'ans see A.T. Gallop, 'From Caucasia to Southeast Asia', in, Manuscripta Orientalia, St. Petersburg, Vol. 14 No. 1, June 2008).