Facing Pages from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (5:15; 5:16)

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Facing Pages from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (5:15; 5:16)

Anatolia or Central Asia, circa 1300
Manuscripts; folios
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
unspecified (M.86.186.1): 11 3/8 × 7 3/8 in. (28.89 × 18.73 cm) unspecified (M.86.186.2): 11 3/8 × 7 3/8 in. (28.89 × 18.73 cm)
Christian Humann Asian Art Fund (M.86.186.1-.2)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

These pages belong to a now dispersed thirty-volume manuscript of the Qur’an of uncertain provenance....
These pages belong to a now dispersed thirty-volume manuscript of the Qur’an of uncertain provenance. They are written in a highly idiosyncratic manner, combining elements of both the thuluth and muhaqqaq scripts, which for some scholars suggests a provincial center in Anatolia or possibly Central Asia. The fact that these and related pages bear an interlinear rendition in Persian does not, however, enhance an attribution to Anatolia. These folios are also distinguished by their colorful knot-like illuminations in the corners and golden scrolling leaf design overlaid with Kufic text, which frames the pages.
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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.
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Painting, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1993.