Double Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (37:13-19; 37:19-23 and 37:73-79; 37:79-86)14th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Two-page Qur'an manuscript spread with large Arabic calligraphy in black ink on cream paper, with gold verse markers and a decorative almond-shaped medallion in the right margin

Illuminated manuscript bifolio with Arabic calligraphy in large Muhaqqaq script, arranged in five lines per page on aged cream-colored parchment, with small gilded rosette verse markers and a blue and gold teardrop-shaped illuminated medallion at right margin.

Illuminated manuscript bifolio with Arabic calligraphy in black ink on cream-colored parchment, five lines of Naskh script per page, with small gold rosette verse markers and a gilded diamond-shaped medallion with blue accents in the right margin.

Manuscript leaf with five lines of large Arabic calligraphy in black ink on cream-toned parchment, with small gilded rosette verse markers between words.

Manuscript page with five lines of Arabic calligraphy in black naskh script on cream-colored parchment, with gilded and red verse markers between lines; a teardrop-shaped illuminated medallion in blue and gold decorates the right margin.

Manuscript leaf with five lines of Arabic calligraphy in black ink on cream-colored parchment, with small gold and polychrome rosette verse markers between text passages.

Manuscript page with five lines of Arabic script in black ink on cream-colored parchment, with small gold rosette verse markers and a gilded medallion with blue decorative border at right margin.

Title: Double Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (37:13-19; 37:19-23 and 37:73-79; 37:79-86)
Place Made: Egypt or Syria
Date Made: 14th century
Period: Mamluk (1250-1517)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Bifolio, overall: 22 × 14 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (55.88 × 36.83 × 24.13 × 16.51 cm) Textblock: 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (24.13 × 16.51 cm) Frame: 29 × 23 × 1 1/2 in. (73.66 × 58.42 × 3.81 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.4
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: Members of the Mamluk dynasty (1250−1517), which ruled Egypt and Syria, were prodigious builders, especially in their capital, Cairo. Along with endowing religious complexes such as mosques, tombs, and religious schools (madrasas), Mamluk patrons also commissioned multivolume sets and single volumes of the Qur’an for each institution. Mamluk Qur’ans are known for their unsurpassed calligraphy and illumination, as demonstrated by this pair of facing pages.

An institutional setting was likely the genesis of these pages, which are written in the cursive muhaqqaq script, one of the six classic Arabic scripts. Such endowed manuscripts were often lavishly made, as seen in the fine materials and embellishment of these folios. The use of gold verse markers and high-quality, finely burnished paper with generous margins indicates that they came from a costly Qur’an.
Selected Bibliography: Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

Double Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (37:13-19; 37:19-23 and 37:73-79; 37:79-86)14th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Double Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an (37:13-19; 37:19-23 and 37:73-79; 37:79-86)
Place Made: Egypt or Syria
Date Made: 14th century
Period: Mamluk (1250-1517)
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Bifolio, overall: 22 × 14 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (55.88 × 36.83 × 24.13 × 16.51 cm) Textblock: 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (24.13 × 16.51 cm) Frame: 29 × 23 × 1 1/2 in. (73.66 × 58.42 × 3.81 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.4
Classification: Manuscripts
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: Members of the Mamluk dynasty (1250−1517), which ruled Egypt and Syria, were prodigious builders, especially in their capital, Cairo. Along with endowing religious complexes such as mosques, tombs, and religious schools (madrasas), Mamluk patrons also commissioned multivolume sets and single volumes of the Qur’an for each institution. Mamluk Qur’ans are known for their unsurpassed calligraphy and illumination, as demonstrated by this pair of facing pages.

An institutional setting was likely the genesis of these pages, which are written in the cursive muhaqqaq script, one of the six classic Arabic scripts. Such endowed manuscripts were often lavishly made, as seen in the fine materials and embellishment of these folios. The use of gold verse markers and high-quality, finely burnished paper with generous margins indicates that they came from a costly Qur’an.
Selected Bibliography: Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.