Manuscripts17th-19th century

Manuscript of the Qur’an, with lacquer binding

17th-19th century

Description

The manuscript is very small and opens with double illuminated text pages with sura 1 and 2. However the first page has been replaced with a later one, and a folio written ornately and minutely in shikasta nastaliq has been inserted between the original and replacement folios. The actual Qur'an text has been written in naskh in fourteen lines to a page in black ink on a ground of alternating yellow- and green-toned gold. A Persian interlinear translation is copied in red ink in nastaliq script. Extensive commentary written obliquely in shikasta script can be found on the margins of several pages. A note on the margin and the inserted folio give the dates 1084 H (1673) and 1141 H (1729) along with artists' names, although these are difficult to decipher. The binding is lacquered and the narrow field is composed of a central medallion with pendants and corner pieces filled with flowers and arabesques. Several borders of varying width frame the field. It appears that the original Safavid manuscript was refurbished with a lacquer binding in the Zand or Qajar era, at which time the extra folio and notes were added.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Watercolor, gold-colored pigments, and lacquer on pasteboard (covers) Ink, gold, and colors on paper (text)

Period

Safavid period

Century

17th-19th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

15.3 × 9.7 × 2.8 cm (6 × 3 13/16 × 1 1/8 in.) Text area: 10.9 × 6 cm (4 5/16 × 2 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Ezzat-Malek Soudavar, Geneva, Switzerland (by 2014), by descent; to her son Abolala Soudavar, Houston, Texas (2014), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2014. Note: Ezzat-Malek Soudavar (1913-2014) formed this collection over a period of sixty years. She purchased the works of art on the international art market.