An illuminated Qur'an bifolium in Maghribi script on vellum, Spain or North Africa, 12th century

text: Qur'an, surah al-anbya (XXI), middle of verse 112 to surah al-hajj (XXII), middle of verse 5

Arabic manuscript on vellum, 7 lines to the page in Maghribi script in brown ink, diacritics in red, blue and orange, verses separated by gold knotted trefoils, surah heading in gold Kufic and a gold and polychrome illuminated marginal medallion

26.7 by 48cm. 

Manuscripts produced in North Africa and Southern Spain were written in an idiosyncratic script known as Maghribi. The script has a characteristic flourish with large curvilinear forms and emphatic terminals that sweep below the line. Calligraphers and illuminators remained faithful to the traditional style, with Kufic surah headings and vellum used for centuries after paper took precedence in the east. Developments in the visual vocabulary of manuscript production in North Africa and Spain were relatively conservative and the choice of script, style of illumination, and square format can be seen in North African manuscripts copied for many centuries after the production of this bifolium