A large illuminated Qur'an commissioned by Munire Sultan, daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I, copied by Ibrahim Hakki, Turkey, Ottoman, dated 19 Rabi' I 1277 AH/5 October 1860 AD

This impressive manuscript is a royal commission by Munire Sultan, daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I (r.1839-61). The roundel beneath the colophon states that Munire Sultan endowed the manuscript for the sake of her husband, Ibrahim Ilhami Pasha, son of Abbas I of Egypt. He died at the start of the year this Qur’an was produced when his boat capsized while he was crossing the Bosphorus.

The manuscript is conceived on a majestic scale with a finely illuminated frontispiece in the rococo style. It presents a magnificent example of royal female patronage at the Ottoman court. The scale of the leaves allows the illuminator to make full use of the exuberant floral sprays and acanthus leaves that frame the opening text. The rich use of gold is further emphasised by the gilding to the edge of the text block impressed with scrolling arabesque motifs. The colophon records that the scribe Ibrahim Hakki was a student of ‘Ali Shukri Efendi. The tutor is possibly the same ‘Ali Shukri Efendi recorded as part of a family from Trabzon who was the grandfather to the calligrapher Isma’il Hakki Bey (Turgut 2008, pp.69-88).

Further examples of Ottoman female patronage include a prayer book commissioned for the wife of Sultan Abdulmecid I, Sayeste Hanim (d.1219) and her only daughter Naile Sultan (d.1882) sold at Christie’s, London 24 April 2019, lot 158.