Page 29 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

AN EARLY AND IMPORTANT ANDALUSI QUR'AN

θ 20
QUR'AN
POSSIBLY ALMERIA, AL-ANDALUS, 12TH CENTURY
Arabic manuscript on parchment, 130ff. plus five flyleaves, each folio with 28 The most distinctive feature of this manuscript is the remarkable diminutive
or 29ll. of fine maghribi calligraphy, gold and green marginal medallions, sura script, which required long and painstaking work and was achieved with
headings in gold kufic with gold and green pendants jutting into the margin, a hard, needle-like nib on extremely thin parchment. Illumination was
the opening bifolio with paired geometric octograms, in later gilt tooled brown
employed lavishly throughout, using a pigment made from pure gold powder
morocco with flap, with paper doublures
applied onto portions of the page, then outlined in black ink. The titles
3º x 3qin. (8.4 x 8.8cm.)
of suras are each executed in kufic chrysography, and flanked by a round
£80,000-120,000 US$92,000-140,000 foliated device. Gold and red medallions inscribed with the word hizb were
€92,000-140,000 also added in the margins to mark the beginning of each sixtieth of the text.
The manuscript also opens with an intricate geometric design based on a
The master scribes of Valencia, Cordoba, Seville and Almeria were renowned
central octogram whose sides are projected outwards and intertwined with
across the medieval Maghrib, and the biographical dictionaries abound with
a double square frame. Interestingly, on f.1a one can see the traces left by the
references not only to their exquisite penmanship, but also for their piety and
dry point and ruler that the artist used to create the geometric pattern for
moral virtues. Nearly all the surviving Andalusi Qur’ans from this period are
the frontispiece on the other side of the folio. To the medieval eye, the minute
characterised by their relatively small size and distinctively square shape.
subtlety of the calligraphy must have represented a wondrous demonstration
Usually described as ‘pocket Qur’ans’, these manuscripts probably functioned
of bravura in line with the aesthetic of ‘ajab (‘marvel’, ‘prodigy’) traditionally
as personal or travel copies, to be read during private acts of devotion,
associated with Allah and His manifestations.
especially during the month of Ramadan. They could also be employed
as talismans, to be kept in one's purse, pocket, sleeve or turban with the
Our manuscript can be dated from material and stylistic parallels with two
purpose of protecting their owner from evil spirits. The compact format of
dated manuscripts, one which was copied in Almeria in 1139, now kept in the
the present lot is arguably what allowed it to survive largely intact, whereas
National Library of Spain (Ms. RES/272) and another dated AH 580/1184
larger contemporaneous codices only survive in the form of sparse folios or
AD in the Saxon State and University Library (Ms. Ea.293). In particular,
fragments. The dimensions of such manuscripts made them impossible to
the geometric plaited motif in the outer frame of the frontispiece of ours is
hide or transport during the most critical phases of the Reconquista, at which
identical to the colophon of the Almeria Qur’an. With the exception of these
time the present manuscript is likely to have been smuggled over the sea to
two manuscripts, all the other Maghribi Qur'ans of this size that are known
North Africa, as is suggested by the eighteenth-century Moroccan binding.
date from a much later period, between the sixteenth century (Bodleian
The few extant manuscripts from this early period are particularly valuable,
Library, Oxford, Ms. Thurston 36) and the eighteenth century (Istanbul
and offer the rare opportunity to come into contact with religious and artistic
University Library, Ms. 6756). This manuscript is thus a rare and beautiful
practices that were intentionally and systematically wiped out by the new
survivor of a period of great cultural and artistic vivacity, on which much has
Christian rulers.
been written and fantasised, but of which precious little survives.
We wish to express our gratitude to Umberto Bongianino for his assistance
in the research and preparation of this entry.
26 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 27
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.