A leaf from the 'Five Surahs', in Muhaqqaq script, copied by Abu Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Ibn Muhammad Ibn Karamshah-i Tabrizi, Persia or Mesopotamia, probably Jala'irid Baghdad, circa 1370

Text: surat al-an'am (VI), part of verse 159 - part of verse 161
Arabic manuscript on paper, 5 lines to the page written in elegant muhaqqaq script in black ink outlined in gold, diacritics and vowel points also in black ink outlined in gold, 2 illuminated circular verse markers comprising geometric knots within dotted borders outlined in blue, margins ruled in red, gold and blue

In good overall condition, leaf has been remargined, some creases and rubbing, particularly around the bottom edge, ink strong and bold, as viewed.
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This leaf and the following two lots originate from a manuscript of selected chapters from the Qur'an known as the 'Five Surahs' which begin with the phrase al-hamdu liI-Lah (chapters I, V, XVIII, XXXIV and XXXV).  The colophon of the manuscript, now housed in a private collection, gives the name of the scribe as Abu Muhammad 'Abdul Qayyum ibn Muhammad ibn Karamshah-i Tabrizi.  Aboulala Soudavar has suggested on stylistic grounds that the compilation of Qur'anic verses from which this leaf originated was made for the Jala'irid ruler Shaykh Uways (Soudavar 1992, no.19, pp.50-51).

The extremely fine illumination is reminiscent of earlier Ilkhanid imperial Qur'ans, such as Uljaytu's Mosul Qur'an and the superb muhaqqaq script looks forward to the monumental Qur'an attributed to Baysunghur but more likely comissioned by his grandfather Timur (r.1370-1405).  A double line of text probably from this Qur'an is included in this sale as lot 9.  Furthermore, David James observes that the calligrapher achieves '...Faultless perfection...equalled only by Suhrawardi in the Qur'an produced in Baghdad in the early years of the 14th century' (James 1992, p.16).

Other leaves from this manuscript are in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection; The Art and Trust Collection, now on loan to the Sackler Gallery, Washington; The David Collection, Copenhagan, the Rifaat Sheikh El-Ard Collection, Riyadh.

Two leaves were exhibited in Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva (see Islamic Calligraphy-Sacred and Secular Writings, Geneva, 1988, nos.23a and 23b, pp.100-104).  Other leaves from the same manuscript are published in:

Folsach, K., Lundbaek, T. and Mortensen, P., Sultan, Shah and Great Mughal, exhibition catalogue, The National Museum, Copenhagan, 1996, no.101.

The Holy Qur'an in Manuscript, Bernard Quaritch exhibition catalogue, National Commercial Bank of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, 1991, no.12.

Islamic Manuscripts-Leaves, Bernard Quaritch exhibition catalogue, no.1366, London, 2008, item L.10.

A bifolium from this Qur'an was sold in these rooms on 8 October 2008, lot 19 and a further leaf on 9 April 2008, lot 24.