Herat - Qur'an - 1590

A highly decorative leaf from a Qur'an dated 1590, scribed in Herat (then Persia) under the Safaivid sultanate.

The scripture comprises the concluding verses of chapter 57, Al-Hadid (Iron), the Surah of chapter 58, Al-Mujadilah (The Pleading Woman) and first two verses. The concluding verses of chapter 57 offer a promise of reward to the believers, invite the People of the Book to accept Islam, and emphasize that divine grace is in God’s hands. The first verses of chapter 58, were revealed to address a specific incident of injustice regarding marriage and to establish a new legal and ethical framework for treating women, abolishing pre-Islamic, unjust practices.

The folio is in the ancient Muhaqqaq script adorned with traditional floral motifs and goldenrod illuminations as marginal devices, both marking the verses and adding beauty to the scripture. This would have been a Qur'an likely to have been available. to the public as a learned document to read. Verses are delineated with gold 'aya', divided into 6 sections by thin blue lines and having a centre red dot. There are three larger headings in gold, one at the top, one dividing the scripture and one at the bottom. These are scripted in thicker gold muhaqqaq. There is also an illuminated chapter heading iwritten in white Thuluth script within a gold cartouche book-ended by celestial blue floral decorations. The whole folio and the headings themselves are framed in thin gold linear marking and then a much thicker gold frame. A single blue frame completed the folio.

Aside from the wormholes, seen as black dots in the images, this is a high quality folio in good condition. for its age retaining its vibrant colour and gilt.

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