A large illuminated Qur'an bifolium in muhaqqaq script on paper, illumination attributable to Muhammad ibn Mubadir, probably Cairo, Egypt, Mamluk, circa 1298-1310

text: Qur'an, surah al-mumtahanah (LX), middles of verse 10 to surah al-saff (LXI), bismillah (recto)

Arabic manuscript on paper, 7 lines to the page written in muhaqqaq in black ink, the word Allah picked out in gold, verses separated by gold and polychrome geometric roundels, 'ashr marked by an illuminated marginal medallion, surah heading in blue thuluth in a gold and polychrome illuminated panel, marginal commentary in blue, black and red, framed

47.8 by 67.4cm.

Calligraphie islamique; textes sacrés et profanes, Geneva, 1988, pp. 72-3. no. 10.

Artistic patronage flourished during the Mamluk period and manuscript production was no exception. Mamluk Qur’an manuscripts are celebrated for their grandeur, often produced in monumental scale with elaborate ornament. The use of muhaqqaq displayed in this bifolium is characteristic of Mamluk Qur’ans, where relatively few lines occupy large sheets of paper. The boldness and vitality of the script is juxtaposed against the intricate illumination in the surah heading.

This bifolium comes from an exquisite multi-volume Qur’an, of which the first volume was exhibited in London in 1976 and the final volume published in 2005 (Fraser 2005). The quality of the illumination is thought to be the work of master artist Muhammad ibn Mubadir, a leading illuminator of Mamluk Cairo.