HERAT, SIGNED MUHAMMAD AL-QARI(?), DATED MUHARRAM AH 963/NOVEMBER 1555 AD

Details

MINIATURE QUR'AN
HERAT, SIGNED MUHAMMAD AL-QARI(?), DATED MUHARRAM AH 963/NOVEMBER 1555 AD
Octagonal format, Arabic manuscript on paper, 427ff. plus four flyleaves each folio with 14ll. of black naskh micrography within blue and gold circular rules, gold circle verse markers, catchwords, sura titles in gold thuluth, the opening bifolium with gold and polychrome sunburst illumination enclosing 6ll. of black naskh, the closing folio with gold drawing, colophon signed and dated, the dark green leather binding with gilt design, the doublures in green dyed paper with plant motifs, in silver octagonal box
Text panel 1 1/4 in. (3.2cm.) diam.; folio 1 3/4in. x 1 3/4in. (4.3cm x 4.3cm.)

Provenance

By repute, Esma Sultan (d.1899), daughter of Sultan Abdulaziz (d.1876), bequeathed to
Huseyin Hayreddine Beyefendi, Istanbul, (d.1956), bequeathed to
Saadeddine Mohamed Beyefendi (d. 1976), bequeathed to
Saadeddine Mohamed Bey Osmansoy (b. 1930)

Engraved

The box is engraved on the outer cover with the words 'mushaf sharif'

Special notice

No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

Miniature qur'ans such as our example often served as talismans and worn around the neck or carried on long journeys for protection. They became popular from the seventeenth century onwards and sixteenth century examples are rare. Travelers also wore them as good-luck charms. The silver banner box is nineteenth century. A similar sixteenth century miniature Safavid Qur'an was sold at Sotheby's London, 1 May 2019, lot 17.

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