Single Folio from a Qur’an

Location: Middle East or North Africa

Materials: ink, gold and watercolour on vellum

Dimensions: 20.8 x 27.8 cm

Accession Number: KFQ 68

Other Notes:

Text: surah al-Isra’ (XVII), verses 53–5.

This folio is a beautiful example of one of the most impressive calligraphic styles of the Abassid period. Perfect mastery of the pen is suggested by the horizontal lines, which are subtly underlined by the use of mashq, and by the precision of the cresent-shaped lower return of the indipendent alif.

Script:

copied in Kufic script; 6 lines to the page

Bibliography:

F. Déroche, The Abbasid Tradition, Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, vol. I, London 1992, cat.21, p.69.