A large illuminated Qur'an, ⁠Central Asia, 19th century

This large manuscript displays key features that are associated with Qur'ans of the Caucasus and Central Asia. In regard to a Qur'an produced in Dagestan in the Leiden University, Shikhsaidov notes a distinctive form of backwards sloping naskh, that Jan Just Witkam evocatively described as a “bold script of wildness and beauty” (inv. no.Or.11.964, see Witkam 2007, p.278). The confident and energetic script used by the scribe of the present manuscript clearly follows this tradition. The restrained decoration places emphasis on the boldness of the calligraphy whose energy is particularly notable in the calligraphic compositions that introduce and close the text. A closely comparable Qur'an was sold in these rooms, 24 April 2024, lot 91.