Unknown - Quran - Chinese - 1790

A magnificent opening page to an 18th Century Chinese Qur'an (circa 1790), which contains the opening folio of Surah Al-Fatiha (Chapter 1 - "The opening"), the most sacred and frequently recited passage in the Qur'an.

"In the name of God, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement".

It is written in elegant Muhaqqaq script, characterised by bold left leaning extended upstrokes of the pen, well-spaced ligatures, and shallow and sweeping horizontal sublinear flourishes. The script exemplifies Sini tradition - China's distinctive Islamic calligraphic style developed over centuries in the Muslim communities of Yunnan, Shaanxi and Gansu. It is noticeably bold and architecturally weighted, with thick. almost monumental strokes and sweeping terminals that are characteristic of the influence of Chines brush calligraphy. the letters sit with confident verticality, reflecting a synthesis of two great civilisations' writing traditions.

The illuminated borders reveal a fascinating cultural synthesis of the Qing dynasty Quranic production, with geometric gilt latticework of the header and footer panels using repeating star-and-polygon tessellation's echoing Islamic geometric tradition, and chines lacquerwork and brocade textile patterns of the period. The flanking side panels feature fluid cloud-scroll (ruyi) motifs rendered in gold against lapis blue, borrowed from imperial porcelain and silk design.

This is a rare and culturally important manuscript of great beauty and would grace any collection.

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