A leaf from the 'Five Suras', in muhaqqaq script copied by Abu Muhammad Abdul Qayyum ibn Muhammad ibn Karamshah-I Tabrizi, PERSIA OR MESOPOTAMIA, PROBABLY JALA'IRID BAGHDAD, circa 1370

text: surat Saba (XXXIV), vv.: 9-12



Arabic manuscript on paper, 5 lines to the page written in elegant muhaqqaq script in black ink outlined in gold, diacritics and vowel points in black ink outlined in gold, one illuminated circular verse marker decorated with a geometric knot and dotted border outlined in blue, inner margins ruled in red, blue and gold.

some creases, staining and rubbing, minor losses to right edge, ink strong, good condition, as viewed.
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This leaf originates from a manuscript of selected chapters from the Qur'an known as the 'Five Suras' which begin with the phrase al-hamdu li-l-Lah (chapters I, V, XVIII, XXXIV and XXXV), The colophon of the manuscript, now in a private collection, gives the name of the scribe as Abu Muhammad 'Abdul Qayyum ibn Muhammad ibn Karamshah-i Tabrizi. Aboulala Soudavar has suggested on stylistic grounds that the compilation of Quranic verses from which this leaf originated was made for the Jala'irid ruler Shaykh Uways (Soudavar 1992, no. 19, pp.50-51).

The extremely fine illumination looks back to that of the Ilkhanid imperial Qur'ans, such as Uljaytu's Mosul Qur'an, and the superb muhaqqaq scripts look forward to the monumental Qur'an attributed to Baysunghur but most likely commissioned by his grandfather Timur (reigned 1370-1405). One line of text from this Qur'an is included in this sale as lot 17.  Moreover, David James observes that the calligrapher achieves 'faultless perfection.... equalled only by Ibn Suhrawardi in the Qur'an produced in Baghdad in the early years of the 14^th century' (James 1992, p.16).

Other leaves from this manuscript are in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection; The Art and Trust Collection, now on loan to the Sackler Gallery, Washington; The David Collection, Copenhagen, the Rifaat Sheikh El-Ard Collection, Riyadh.

Two leaves were exhibited in Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, see Islamic Calligraphy-Sacred and Secular Writings, Geneva, 1988, nos. 23a and 23b, pp.100-104.

Other leaves from the same manuscript are published in:

Folsach, K., Lundbaek, T. and Mortensen, P., Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal, exhibition catalogue, The National Museum, Copenhagen, 1996, no.101.

The Holy Qur'an in Manuscript, Bernard Quaritch exhibition catalogue, National Commercial Bank of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, 1991, no.12.

Islamic Manuscripts-Leaves, Bernard Quaritch exhibition catalogue, no.1366, London, 2008, item L.10. 

A leaf from this Qur'an was sold in these rooms on 9^th April 2008, lot 24.