A two-volume Qur'an with ascription to Yaq'ut al-Mustasimi, Persia, late 13th/14th century, with Timurid illumination, 15th century

Arabic manuscript on polished cream paper, remargined, 402 leaves in total, 12 lines to the page written in crisp and slightly angular naskh script in black ink, surah headings written in blue against gold ground panels, marginal illuminations throughout, vol.1 with double page illuminated frontispiece with a rigorous interlace of polychrome interlacing vines against blue and gold grounds, vol.2 with added colophon bearing the name of Yaq'ut, each volume with a brown leather binding with central stamped cartouches

In fairly good overall condition, each volume with repaired spine and worn binding, some splitting where pages have been remargined, pages cropped but generally clean and calligraphy bold, minor losses to opening leaf of Qur'an, some paper repairs to final leaves of volume two, as viewed.
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The present manuscript bears a good deal of historical interest, in that it is most likely to be a copy of a Qur'an after Yaq'ut al-Mustasimi (d. circa 1298 AD), produced in the fourteenth century, with later Timurid illumination of the fifteenth century. The quality of the calligraphy is such that it is likely to have been considered the work of the master Yaq'ut throughout its ownership. The slightly angular nature of the script is reminiscent of a Qur'an signed by Yaq'ut al-Mustasimi sold in these rooms 24 October 2007, lot 19.

Since as early as the years following Yaqut's death, manuscripts executed by him (and especially his Qur'ans) were hugely sought after, and have practically become, in modern times, the Holy Grail of Islamic arts of the book. In fact, because the quantity of manuscripts produced by Yaqut was relatively few, facsimiles began to be produced (sometimes with the acknowledgment of the copyist, othertimes without). Indeed, so scarce were the manuscripts, even a few years after Yaqut's death, the Ilkhanid vizier and collector of Qur'ans Rashid al-Din was only able to find ten by Yaqut to add to his library (see James 1992, p.58).

One fairly common feature of Yaqut Qur'ans is that they have often been remargined and re-illuminated, as is the case with the present Qur'an, so some artistic evidence of the original manuscript is lost. In the present manuscript each page has been remargined, but the decoration has been kept fairly minimal, reflecting the appearance of other Yaq'ut Qur'ans of the thirteenth century.