Two illuminated Qur'an leaves in Maghribi script on pink paper, North Africa or Andalusia, late 12th/early 13th century

text: Qur'an, surah Yunus (X), middle of verse 25 to middle of verse 26; middle of verse 109 to surah Hud (XI), middle of verse 1

Arabic manuscript on pink paper, 5 lines to the page written in large and bold Maghribi in dark brown ink, diacritics in gold, yellow, brown and blue, verses separated by gold roundels containing abjad numerals, khams marked by an illuminated tear-drop medallion, further text divisions marked by large illuminated marginal medallions, surah heading in gold Kufic within an illuminated panel, framed

32.8 by 25.4cm. each

Calligraphie islamique; textes sacrés et profanes, Geneva, 1988, pp. 41, 66-69, nos.8a and 8b.

This Qur’an leaf originates from a magnificent twenty-volume Qur’an produced in the Muslim west. Its luxurious, pink-dyed paper is thought to have produced in Jativa, southwest of Valencia, the site of the earliest recorded paper mill in Spain (Fraser and Kwiatkoswki, 2006, p.64). The calligrapher has employed an impactful and well-spaced Maghribi, with free-flowing terminals that contrast the intricate illuminated devices throughout the text. The extravagance of the calligraphy, illumination and dyed paper would suggest it was commissioned by an illustrious, probably noble, patron from one of the major cities in Southern Spain.