A rare illuminated miniature Qur’an juz' (XV), Egypt or Syria, Mamluk, 14th/15th century
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Arabic manuscript on paper, 34 leaves, plus 1 fly leaf, 9 lines to the page written in naskh in black ink, verses separated by red roundels, surah headings in red, f.1a with gold illuminated shamsa, following bifolio with illumination framing text in clouds, in gilt and tooled brown leather binding
6.3 by 4.6cm.
Ex-private collection, Europe, early 20th century, by repute;
Thence by descent until 2025
This juz’ is the adjacent volume to a manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (juz’ 16, inv. no.Arabe 6850, Déroche 1985, p.67 no.372), and both are preserved in the same binding. The liberal use of gold and the layout of the illuminated frontispiece comprising a gold frame set within wide margins, with pendants in the outer margin, is typical of Mamluk Qur’ans of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Mamluks were famed for impressive and large manuscripts of the Qur’an and it is highly rare to find an example of their miniature Qur’an production.
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