- Title
- Page from a Manuscript of the Qur'an
- Date Made
- circa 1550-1575
- Medium
- Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- 19 1/4 x 12 3/4 in. (48.9 x 32.39 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1999.158.1
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
In the second half of the sixteenth century especially, Shiraz was an important hub for the creation of large-format luxury manuscripts of the Qur’an, some of which were intended for export to the Ottoman Empire. This pair of facing pages (also see M.2010.54.1) from the closing section of a dispersed manuscript includes the du‘a al-khatm, or prayer said at the conclusion of a reading of the Qur’an. The beautiful decoration framing the gold calligraphy epitomizes the Shiraz style of illumination in its colorful exuberance. Many similarly decorated manuscripts of the Qur’an are preserved in Istanbul collections, demonstrating a distinct Turkish affinity for the Shiraz style.
- Selected Bibliography
- Komaroff, Linda. Gifts of the Sultan: the Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011.
- Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
- Keene, Bryan C., editor. Toward a Global Middle Ages: Encountering the World Through Illuminated Manuscripts. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019.
