Bonhams 1793 : Two large Qur'an leaves in gold and black muhaqqaq script Persia, probably Shiraz, circa 1525-1550(2)

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2 Oct 2012 10:30 BST London, New Bond Street
Islamic and Indian Art
Back to auction 20020

Two large Qur'an leaves in gold and black muhaqqaq script
Persia, probably Shiraz, circa 1525-1550

Arabic manuscript on cream-coloured paper, 12 lines to the page, each line written in elegant muhaqqaq script in alternating gold and black with panels of alternating light green and brown, diacritics and vowel points in black, text interspersed with illuminated florets, margins ruled in colours and gold, illuminated devices in wide margins, both leaves with a sura heading written in naskhi script in white on a gold ground amidst floral motifs and within a panel illuminated in colours and gold, worming mostly confined to outer margins, some losses to corners, small losses to one line in each leaf
435 x 293 mm.(2)

Estimate:

£2,500 - 3,000
€2,900 - 3,500
US$ 3,800 - 4,500

Footnotes

Text:
A. sura LXXII, al-Jinn, The Spirits, part of verse 21-verse 28 (last verse); sura LXXIII, al-Muzzammil, The Folded Garments, verse 1-verse 19.
B. sura LXXVIII, al-Nabaa, The Great News, verse 29-verse 40 (last verse); sura LXXIX, al-Nazi'at, Those Who Tear Out, verse 1-part of verse 34.

These leaves come from a dispersed manuscript of the Qur'an and epitomise the high quality of work being done in cities like Shiraz at this date. The use of muhaqqaq (favoured because of its flowing form) and of alternating black and gold, are typical, but the green and brown sprinkling is much less so.

Another folio from the same Qur'an is in the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art (see David James, After Timur: Qur'ans of the 15th and 16th Centuries, Oxford 1992, pp. 170-171, no. 42).

Other leaves from the manuscript have appeared at Sotheby's, 23rd November 1976, lots 317-319; 3rd May 1977, lots 96-100; 18th July 1978, lots 177-79; 9th October 1978, lots 3-4; 24th April 1979, lots 229-235; 23rd April 1997, lot 44; 15th October 1998, lot 29; 3rd May 2001, lot 13; 30th April 2003, lot 6. Single leaves appeared in these rooms more recently: see Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 10th April 2008, lot 19; 7th October 2010, lot 10; 4th October 2011, lot 5.