- 11
Qur'an leaf in Kufic script on vellum, North Africa or Near East, 9th century
Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
Sold
7,750 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- 19 by 27cm.
Text: Surat al-Baqarat (II), vv. 276-278
6 lines per page written in fine Kufic script in dark brown ink on vellum, letter-pointing of brown ink dashes, vocalisation of red, blue, green and yellow dots, single verse division marked with a triangular cluster of gold dots, fifth verse division marked with a stylised Kufic letter 'ha'
6 lines per page written in fine Kufic script in dark brown ink on vellum, letter-pointing of brown ink dashes, vocalisation of red, blue, green and yellow dots, single verse division marked with a triangular cluster of gold dots, fifth verse division marked with a stylised Kufic letter 'ha'
Catalogue Note
This Qur'an folio exhibits a Kufic script close in style to Déroche's categories D.III and D.Va (Déroche 1992, p.45). It is characterised by an extreme attenuation and elegance, and a strong balance and rhythm on the page. The letter-pointing has been kept to a visual minimum, leaving the lines uncluttered and allowing the eye to run smoothly along the script.
A very closely related folio is in the Bibliothèque Nationale de Tunis (Carthage, no.335), and two others with comparable scripts are in the Musée des arts Islamiques de Qairouan (Carthage, nos.327,328).