A pair of gilded polychrome carved wood doors, Malay Peninsula, Southeast Asia, 19th century

inscriptions

Qur'an, surah al-Nasr (CX)

Qur'an, surah al-Nas (CXIV)

These finely carved doors relate to woodwork of the Malay Peninsula including a selection of prayer screens and Qur'an boxes in the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia (see Malaysia 2005, pp. 177-181). The decorative repertoire of the these woodworks were derived from the natural surroundings of Southeast Asia with gracefully twisting tropical flowers and plants (ibid., p. 175). The deep carving of the present doors emphasises the exuberant decoration that frames the inscription.