Description
348 leaves, 12 lines to the page written in neat naskhi script, single verse divisions marked by gold discs decorated with blue dots, margins ruled in colours and gold, numerous illuminated circular devices decorated with floral motifs in margins, leaves paginated in Arabic in bottom left margin, sura headings in white on finely illuminated panels with floral motifs in colours and gold, three double pages and two single pages of fine illumination in colours and gold, few leaves with splits along margins, folio 1 loose, fine contemporary gold-stamped brown morocco binding with large rectangular panels with scrolling flower heads and cloud bands on a framework of interlocking geometric patterns, bands of border cartouches with floral motifs, outside of flap with gilt-stamped scrolling floral motifs and calligraphic borders of pious verses, brown morocco doublures with central medallion, corner pieces and border cartouches of gold filigree over lapis, green and cream grounds, central field and inner border of gold-stamped scrolling floral tendrils and cloud-bands, inside of flap with gold floral filigree over green, blue, black and orange grounds, with a Persian falnama at the end
Catalogue Note
The illuminated pages in this richly appointed Qur'an consist of:
f.1b-2a opening double page with two large shamsas.
f.2b-3a fully illuminated double page with surat al-Fatiha.
f.3b illuminated headpiece for beginning of surat al-Baqqara.
f.347b-348a fully illuminated double page with prayers in muhaqqaq script.
f.348b fully illuminated single page with prayers in nasta'liq script.
The illumination in this Qur'an is unusual for the strong use of purple and yellow in the opening shamsas, the illumination surrounding the opening sura and the prayers at the end. However, the illumination of the panels of the sura headings is more traditional in its use of colours. It is rare to find a fine sixteenth-century Qur'an in which both the manuscript and the contemporary binding are in such good condition.
