A fine illuminated Qur'an juz' (I), Persia, Ilkhanid, early 14th century

text: surah al-fatiha (I) to surah al-baqarah (II), end of verse 41, and loose folio surah al-baqarah (II) end of verse 137 to end of verse 140.
Arabic manuscript on paper, 16 leaves, 7 lines to the page, written in naskh script in black ink, verses separated by gold roundels, gold and polychrome marginal khams and ‘ashr, surah heading in gold with blue diacritics, two illuminated folios, one enclosing one half of surah al-fatiha decorated with gold and polychrome palmettes and scrolls, text within cloud bands against an arabesque ground, the margin with a large floral roundel, the other with text flanked by gold and polychrome headings in Kufic script and palmette scrolls, the margin with a large floral roundel, signed by illuminator 'Abd al-Aziz, lacking binding

In reasonable condition, lacking the binding, folios loose, the margins are clean with occasional water staining and smudges to the ink, minor repairs to the edges, the first illuminated folio with a minor tear to the page which has been consolidated on the verso, the page with the second illumination repaired from two pieces and missing the lower margin, but conserving the illumination, water staining affecting the floral roundel, as viewed.
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This juz' is a fine example of calligraphy under Ilkhanid patronage. Although the illumination was never completed on the opening folio, the two illuminated pages that were are a perfect example of the fine naskh calligraphy employed at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Iraq and Persia. The geometric design of the decoration and the way the cartouches are encircled by thin bands of interlacing motifs is reminiscent of a juz' now in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul (inv.no. TIEM540), commissioned by the viziers Rashid al-Din and Sa’d al-Din for Ojaytu in 1310 AD. The delicate floral roundel as well as the marginal khams and 'ashr can be compared to another Ilkhanid Qur’an dated 702 AH/1303 AD in the M. Sackler Gallery, Washington (inv.no.1999.3). Both manuscripts were recently published in M. Farhad and S. Retting, The Art of the Qur’an, Washington, 2016, pp.192-210.