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59 QUR’AN. Qur’an leaf in Kufic script on vellum. Surah 5 (al-Maidah/the Table), vv. 102–107. [Perhaps Damascus: 9th century] This beautiful leaf comes from a rare Qur’an, executed in a distinctive and unusual script that bears similarities to François Déroche’s “group F.1” in his categorisation of early Arabic scripts used for copying the Qur’an. The characteristics of this style are a consistent mashq , or “stretching”, of the letter forms, which at times give the appearance of an extended connecting line, and which Déroche notes is a feature typical of leaves from Damascus (see, for example, the middle two words on line 3 and the last two words on line 8, both on the verso side). Other characteristics of the individual letters are a relatively extenuated alif , and a predominantly circular mim . However, the rounded forms and widening tips of some letter ends, such as the terminal nun and the waw , and the almost symmetrical shape of the lam-alif form, are an additional unusual feature of this leaf, which perhaps correspond more closely to the D.Vc script, with similar characteristics to what is frequently referred to as “Western Kufic” script. Certain decorative elements are present in this leaf which are commonly found in other Kufic leaves in a more standard
calligraphic format, but of the same period: for example, the verse markers in the form of three gold dots arranged loosely in a pyramid form, and the fifth verse marker, in the shape of a gold letter ‘ha’, corresponding to the number 5 in the abjad system. The attribution of this style of script to manuscripts predominantly produced in Damascus appears to be a feasible suggestion, given that the majority of leaves with a different style of Kufic script are believed to have come from North Africa. The leaves exhibiting the closest style to the script in the present leaf come from a well-known Qur’an dated to the end of the 8th century ce; see Déroche 1992, cat. 66, pp. 120–2. According to Déroche, the script has certain similarities with a milestone in Tblisi dated to ah 100 / 718–19 ce, as well as an inscription dedicated to the caliph al- Mahdi, dating to ah 160 / 776–7 ce (op. cit., p. 42). A leaf from the same manuscript was sold at Sotheby’s, 6 October 2010, lot 1. Arabic manuscript on vellum (335 × 250 mm), 14 lines to the page written in elongated kufic script in black ink, vocalisation in the form of red dots, verses marked by triangular clusters made up of 3 gold dots, fifth verse markers in the form of a stylised letter ‘ha’ in gold, tenth verse markers in the form of a large illuminated polychrome rosette inscribed with the word “ashr”. ¶ See F. Déroche, The Abbasid Tradition , 1992, p. 42. £21,000 [159593]
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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