A Qur'an, Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria or Chad, late 19th/early 20th century
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Arabic manuscript on paper, 576 loose leaves, 14 lines to the page written in barnawi in dark brown ink, verses separated clusters of three yellow roundels outlined in red, 'ashr marked by larger red, yellow and dark brown roundels, further text divisions marked by marginal devices, surah headings in red, opening folio with a geometric panel, in brown leather covers with applied leather roundels, leather and suede case
leaf: 19.5 by 24cm.
Ex-private collection, acquired in Chad, circa 1950
The text of this manuscript displays the barnawi script that developed in areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly Nigeria and Chad. While the script has often been thought of as an offshoot of the Maghribi style, Bivar and Brigaglia note that the distinctive bold application of the letters which contrasts rounded forms with angular forms, along with short letter shafts, shows influences from Kufic script (Bivar 1968, pp.3-15, Brigaglia and Nobili 2013, p.217). A further Qur’an displaying the script is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no.2019.176) and a Sub-Saharan west African Qur’an recently sold in these rooms, 26 October 2022, lot 7. A further example with a closely comparable carry case was sold in these rooms, 26 April 2023, lot 14. For an extensive discussion on the trade of paper in Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa as well as these types of Qur’ans, see Brockett 1987.
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