Koran Page
Artist
Unknown
CultureTurkish
Date17th century
MediumPaper, gold, ink
DimensionsOverall: 15 x 11 5/8 in. (38.1 x 29.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Louis I. Jaffe
Object number50.45.11
Not on view
DescriptionPage from a Koran manuscript. Unsigned. Paper is highly polished and sized. 17th century or earlier. Opaque water color, ink & gold on paper. Illuminated.Label TextKoran Page Turkish Ottoman period, 17th century Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper The folio represents a very fine 17th-century example of Ottoman calligraphy, combining friezes of different scripts. The three large bands appear in elegant Thuluth, while the rest has been written in Naskhi, the most common script for the transcription of Korans. Ornamental Thuluth was usually reserved for headings, or, as in this case, selected for certain lines to enhance the overall decorative quality of the page. The red cartouche indicates the beginning of the 47th Sura or chapter, Sura al-Haqaf (Sand Dunes).
