Folio from a Qur’an, sura 54:13-23

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur’an; recto: Sura al-Qamar (the Moon) 54: part of 13-18, recto begins with “dhati”; verso: sura 54:18-22 and part of 23, verso begins with “‘adhabi”; Arabic in black “eastern kufic (New Style)” script; illuminated verse markers; marginal medallions containing the word “ashrun” (twenty), and the word “Khams” (five); vocalized in red, tashdid and sukun in blue; one column; 4 lines of text; one of a group of 2 folios.

Historical period(s)
993 (383 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, color and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 24 x 34 cm (9 7/16 x 13 3/8 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1937.33
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
eastern kufic script, illumination, Iran, Islam, Qur'an, sura 54
Provenance

To 1937
Kirkor Minassian (1874-1944), New York. [1]

From 1937
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Kirkor Minassian, New York. [2]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Kirkor Minassian 1874-1944

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur'an; recto: Sura al-Qamar (the Moon) 54: part of 13-18, recto begins with "dhati"; verso: sura 54:18-22 and part of 23, verso begins with "'adhabi"; Arabic in black "eastern kufic (New Style)" script; illuminated verse markers; marginal medallions containing the word "ashrun" (twenty), and the word "Khams" (five); vocalized in red, tashdid and sukun in blue; one column; 4 lines of text; one of a group of 2 folios.

Published References
  • Francois Deroche. The Abbasid Tradition: Qurans of the 8th to the 10th Centuries AD. Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art New York. cat. 83.
  • Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary for the Year Ended June 30, 1937. Washington. p. 44, pl. 2.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. The Arts of Iran at the Time of Avicenna: Société iranienne pour la conservation des monuments nationaux. vol. 4, Tehran. pp. 132-138, fig. 20.
  • Eric Schroeder. What Was the Badi Script? Manuscripts in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. vol. 4 Ann Arbor. pp. 232-248.
  • Islamic Art and Archaeology: Collected Papers. Berlin. p. 912.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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