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Lot Essay
This magnificent Qur’an is a testament to the production of early 16th century Ottoman illuminated Qur’ans which were heavily inspired by Herati examples. The pink hatching around the sura headings is borrowed from the Timurid style of the 15th century and so is the solid black outline around the text along with the overall generous use of black. The characteristic bright lapis lazuli and light green which dominate the opening pages and the cartouches around the sura headings are mainstays of Ottoman illumination. Another earlier feature which the illuminator of our Qur’an has masterfully incorporated into this manuscript is the illumination of the lapis ground surrounding the clouds-bands around the inscriptions. This feature is most often seen on the handful of Pirbudaqi manuscripts created in the mid-15th century, such as the Divan of Qasim, copied by Shaykh Mahmud and dedicated to Pir Budaq, dated 1459 (see. London, 2005, pl. 212, pp. 250-251).
Our Qur’an dates to 1511, three years before the battle of Chaldiran and the Ottoman victory over the Safavid empire. During this period, due to the great unrest in the Safavid court, many artists started to flee to the neighbouring Mughal and Ottoman courts to seek work. The hybrid style of illumination which shows inspiration from late Timurid designs and the layout of the calligraphy which reflects early Safavid Qur’ans demonstrates the fluid migration of artists and the interchangeable use of designs between the courts during this period.
The layout of our manuscript’s illumination can be compared with a poetry volume sold in these Rooms, 26 October 2017 lot 85. The design of the calligraphic pages are closely linked to a number of Safavid Qur’ans sold in these Rooms, such as 20 October 2016, lot 21. This Qur’an’s impressive binding shows great homogeny with the illumination making it likely that it was created for our manuscript.
Our Qur’an dates to 1511, three years before the battle of Chaldiran and the Ottoman victory over the Safavid empire. During this period, due to the great unrest in the Safavid court, many artists started to flee to the neighbouring Mughal and Ottoman courts to seek work. The hybrid style of illumination which shows inspiration from late Timurid designs and the layout of the calligraphy which reflects early Safavid Qur’ans demonstrates the fluid migration of artists and the interchangeable use of designs between the courts during this period.
The layout of our manuscript’s illumination can be compared with a poetry volume sold in these Rooms, 26 October 2017 lot 85. The design of the calligraphic pages are closely linked to a number of Safavid Qur’ans sold in these Rooms, such as 20 October 2016, lot 21. This Qur’an’s impressive binding shows great homogeny with the illumination making it likely that it was created for our manuscript.