Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (78:20-25; 78:26-30)

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Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (78:20-25; 78:26-30)

Spain, probably Valencia, 12th century
Manuscripts; folios
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on parchment
10 3/4 × 10 3/4 in. (27.31 × 27.31 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by the Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky (M.88.37)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

This page from a manuscript of the Qur’an is typical of al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) on account of its use of parchment, which remained in favor in the region for copying the sacred text even after it h...
This page from a manuscript of the Qur’an is typical of al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) on account of its use of parchment, which remained in favor in the region for copying the sacred text even after it had been supplanted by paper elsewhere in the Islamic world, and because of its distinctive script, known as Maghribi. It has seven lines per page finely written in brown ink, while the vocalization and other reading marks are rendered in yellow, red, blue, and green. The single verse markers take the form of golden knots; every fifth and tenth verse is indicated by a stylized palmette and by a medallion illuminated in gold.
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Bibliography

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.