SIGNED MUHIBBULLAH ZAMINDAR, BURHANPUR, DECCAN, DATED MONDAY 25TH RAMADAN, 26TH REGNAL YEAR OF AURANGZEB, CORRESPONDING TO AH 1095/5 SEPTEMBER 1684 AD

Details

QUR'AN
SIGNED MUHIBBULLAH ZAMINDAR, BURHANPUR, DECCAN, DATED MONDAY 25TH RAMADAN, 26TH REGNAL YEAR OF AURANGZEB, CORRESPONDING TO AH 1095/5 SEPTEMBER 1684 AD
Arabic manuscript on paper, 395ff. plus six fly-leaves, each folio with 11ll. of large black naskh script with Persian interlinear translation in red nasta'liq script, with gold and polychrome roundel verse markers, sura headings in white thuluth script on gold ground within illuminated cartouches, text within gold and polychrome frame, marginal section markers in red thuluth script, with catchwords, marginal commentaries in red nasta'liq script, opening bifolio with 6ll. of text in cloud bands on gold ground within gold and polychrome illuminated cartouches and margins, colophon signed, dated and giving the two places of Surat and Burhanpur and mentioning the Raja Pipla of Pipalwara, fly-leaves with later added notes, in red morocco binding
Text panel 11 5/8 x 6¾in. (29.6 x 17cm.); folio 16 x 10in. (40.5 x 26.3cm.)

Lot Essay

The colophon of this Qur'an is particularly interesting for the information it gives about the scribe. Muhibullah signs this manuscript as"Raj Pipla of Pipalwara near the port of Surat who is a native of Kalana (?) living in Burhanpur since his conversion to Islam". He was the Raja of "Pipalwara", possibly Pipalwara in Rajasthan - although this place is located more than 200 miles from Surat. Muhibullah then moved to Burhanpur after he became Muslim and according to the colophon, studied calligraphy with Hajji Muhammad Qasim 'Alamgir Shahi.
A calligraphic panel signed 'Alamgir Shahi and dated AH 1119 sold at Christie's South Kensington, 23 April 2012, lot 77.

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