Manuscript fragment from a Qur’an

Manuscript; fragment from a Qur’an; Sura al-An’am (the Cattle) 6:164-65; Sura al- A’raf (the Heights) 7:1-5 and 22-27; Arabic in black kufic script with a palmette gold heading extending out into the margin; sura title in gold; vocalized in red; 22 folios with one illumination, gold verse markers, palmette; standard page: one column; 13 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in papier-mâché with lacquer-painted floral designs and doublures of marbled paper.

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Historical period(s)
Abbasid period, early 9th century
Medium
Ink, color and gold on parchment
Dimensions
H x W x D (closed): 12.8 x 8.1 x 1.7 cm (5 1/16 x 3 3/16 x 11/16 in)
Geography
North Africa or Near East
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1997.27.1-23a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript

Keywords
Abbasid period (750 - 1258), illumination, Islam, kufic script, Near East, North Africa, Qur'an, sura 6, sura 7
Provenance

From 1920s
Family of Sophia Riefstahl, New Bedford, MA, from the 1920s [1]

To 1997
Sophia Riefstahl, New Bedford, MA, by descent, to 1997 [2]

From 1997
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Sophia Riefstahl in 1997

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Note 3, Massumeh Farhad, October 1, 1997, in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Sophia Riefstahl

Description

Manuscript; fragment from a Qur'an; Sura al-An'am (the Cattle) 6:164-65; Sura al- A'raf (the Heights) 7:1-5 and 22-27; Arabic in black kufic script with a palmette gold heading extending out into the margin; sura title in gold; vocalized in red; 22 folios with one illumination, gold verse markers, palmette; standard page: one column; 13 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in papier-mâché with lacquer-painted floral designs and doublures of marbled paper.

Label

The twenty-two folios are part of a superb small Qur'an fragment, datable to the early 9th century. Bound in sections, its intimate size indicates that it was intended for personal use.

Published References
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 132-133.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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