Abdullah al-Ranani

A fine illuminated miniature Qur'an, copied by a royal scribe from the court of Fath’Ali Shah Qajar.

• Produced by Abdullah al-Ranani (Persian).
• Qajar Persia: Dated 1225 AH (1815 AD). 
• Illuminated manuscript on polished paper.
• 191 leaves plus 3 endpapers (2 at front and 1 at back).
• Arabic text.
• 21 lines fine and refined naskh script copied in miniature format, in black, 2 opening leaves of prayers copied in central lobed panels, in red, plus an additional set at the end of the volume, opening two facing pages of the Qur’an with exquisitely fine gilt polychrome decorations to borders, interlinear coloring of gold to every leaf of text, catch-words throughout.
• Housed in fine contemporary gilt lacquered boards, with decorative floral compositions to covers set against a red background and framed within a gold foliate border.

 An exquisite miniature Qur’an form the early Qajar period.  

The copyist Abdullah Ibn Ashoub al-Ranani was a royal scribe in the Court of Fath ‘Ali Shah Qajar (r.1797-1834). Al-Ranani was renowned for his fine naskh script which is exemplified here in a delicate miniature format, which is unusual for this scribe whose other traced Qur’ans have been notably larger in scale.  

This Qur’an was produced to the highest possible specification of the period with no expense spared; every single page of the text is illuminated with interlinear coloring of gold, the script is delicate and legible despite its miniature format, and the binding is exemplary: it was undoubtedly commissioned for a member of the Qajar royal family.