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Lot Essay
This section of a large Qur’an is a rare and important example of the manuscript production in the Iranian world at the turn of the 11th century to the 12th century.
The ‘eastern kufic’ script, used throughout this manuscript, covers a wide range of scripts used for the production of Qur’ans, but not exclusively for them, during the 10th to the early 13th century, particularly in the eastern Islamic lands. It is typified by its triangular letters and its diagonal rather than horizontal or vertical orientation. It is sometimes referred to as ‘New ‘Abbasid Style’ (abbreviated NS – New Style) by François Déroche or ‘broken cursive’ by Sheila Blair (in Islamic Calligraphy, Edinburgh, 2008, pp.143-194). The earliest recorded Qur’an manuscript in ‘broken cursive’ is dated to 972 AD (Blair, op.cit., fig.5.1, pp. 151-152). In her discussion of the script, Blair describes the ‘typical copy [of the Qur’an as] medium-sized, on the order of 20x17cm., with a compact script and many lines per page (up to 25). Sura titles are in gold or white on gold, typically with a palmette extending into the margin.’ The present copy appears larger, with fewer lines per folio than ‘the typical copy’ which certainly denotes a luxurious manuscript.
Finely illuminated with gold and polychrome headings and marginal medallions, our Qur’an relates to two fragmentary Qur’ans sold at Christie’s on 26 April 2005, lot 15 and 6 October 2011, lot 45. Both were signed and dated respectively AH 432/1040-41 AD and AH 498/1104-05 AD. Of vertical format, written in a similar script with kufic sura headings, the three manuscripts are closely related. Although a more lavish copy, the manuscript dated AH 432 displayed an almost identical script with the same use of diacritical signs. The presence in our copy of sura headings in both kufic and rounded cursive scripts is intriguing, as both appear to be original to the copy. The two styles are used concomitantly for sura headings from the 10th through to the 12th century, see for instance the canonical Qur’an of Ibn al-Bawwab in the Chester Beatty Library, dated 1000-01 AD, which displays similar sura titles in rounded cursive script (Blair, op.cit., fig.5.8, p.163) or a 12th century Qur’an fragment in the Nasser D.Khalili Collection with kufic headings (François Déroche, The Abbasid Tradition, Oxford, 1992, cat.87, p.168).
In the present manuscript, the verses are marked with gold roundels, outlined in black with red and green dot highlights. This feature, although only used to mark group of five verses, can be seen for instance on a folio in the Khalili Collection, dated to the 12th century (Déroche , op.cit., cat.92, pp.175-175). A single folio in the same collection can also be paralleled with our manuscript, even if copied in a clumsy script, reflecting the popularity of the style (Déroche, op.cit., cat.97. pp.181-182). See also a Qur'an in the British Library (Add. 7213, Martin Lings and Yasin Safadi, The Qur'an, exhibition catalogue, London, 1976, cat.40, pp.35-36).
The examination of the paper of our manuscript, particularly when compared to the other fragmentary ‘eastern kufic’ Qur’an in this sale, lot 258, suggests a second half of the 11th or first half of the 12th century century dating - whilst lot 258 should be attributed to the 12th century.
The ‘eastern kufic’ script, used throughout this manuscript, covers a wide range of scripts used for the production of Qur’ans, but not exclusively for them, during the 10th to the early 13th century, particularly in the eastern Islamic lands. It is typified by its triangular letters and its diagonal rather than horizontal or vertical orientation. It is sometimes referred to as ‘New ‘Abbasid Style’ (abbreviated NS – New Style) by François Déroche or ‘broken cursive’ by Sheila Blair (in Islamic Calligraphy, Edinburgh, 2008, pp.143-194). The earliest recorded Qur’an manuscript in ‘broken cursive’ is dated to 972 AD (Blair, op.cit., fig.5.1, pp. 151-152). In her discussion of the script, Blair describes the ‘typical copy [of the Qur’an as] medium-sized, on the order of 20x17cm., with a compact script and many lines per page (up to 25). Sura titles are in gold or white on gold, typically with a palmette extending into the margin.’ The present copy appears larger, with fewer lines per folio than ‘the typical copy’ which certainly denotes a luxurious manuscript.
Finely illuminated with gold and polychrome headings and marginal medallions, our Qur’an relates to two fragmentary Qur’ans sold at Christie’s on 26 April 2005, lot 15 and 6 October 2011, lot 45. Both were signed and dated respectively AH 432/1040-41 AD and AH 498/1104-05 AD. Of vertical format, written in a similar script with kufic sura headings, the three manuscripts are closely related. Although a more lavish copy, the manuscript dated AH 432 displayed an almost identical script with the same use of diacritical signs. The presence in our copy of sura headings in both kufic and rounded cursive scripts is intriguing, as both appear to be original to the copy. The two styles are used concomitantly for sura headings from the 10th through to the 12th century, see for instance the canonical Qur’an of Ibn al-Bawwab in the Chester Beatty Library, dated 1000-01 AD, which displays similar sura titles in rounded cursive script (Blair, op.cit., fig.5.8, p.163) or a 12th century Qur’an fragment in the Nasser D.Khalili Collection with kufic headings (François Déroche, The Abbasid Tradition, Oxford, 1992, cat.87, p.168).
In the present manuscript, the verses are marked with gold roundels, outlined in black with red and green dot highlights. This feature, although only used to mark group of five verses, can be seen for instance on a folio in the Khalili Collection, dated to the 12th century (Déroche , op.cit., cat.92, pp.175-175). A single folio in the same collection can also be paralleled with our manuscript, even if copied in a clumsy script, reflecting the popularity of the style (Déroche, op.cit., cat.97. pp.181-182). See also a Qur'an in the British Library (Add. 7213, Martin Lings and Yasin Safadi, The Qur'an, exhibition catalogue, London, 1976, cat.40, pp.35-36).
The examination of the paper of our manuscript, particularly when compared to the other fragmentary ‘eastern kufic’ Qur’an in this sale, lot 258, suggests a second half of the 11th or first half of the 12th century century dating - whilst lot 258 should be attributed to the 12th century.