Unknown - Qur'an - Bihar India - 1425

An exceptional illuminated large form folio from a Quran originating in the state of Bihar, India during the Sultanate period, c.1425. It contains Scripture from chapter 25 Al-Furqan (The Decisive Authority), v.59-62. The scripture highlights God's (Allah's) absolute power as the Creator, the arrogance of disbelievers, and the signs of divine order in the cosmos.

It is written in a Arabic naskh script, with black ink and red diactritical markings to guide the devotee through prayer. In this case there are 11 lines of bold Bihari script with elaborate gold 'aya' marking the verses and several 'Allah' in burnished gold thuluth font. The folio has an elaborate decorative marginal, in outstanding condition, marking the 60th verses of the chapter. In this case it also signifies the obligatory prostration (sajda) at this verse.

The folios palette and geometric vocabulary reflect the broader Islamic decorative style transmitted via Persian and Arabic manuscript culture into the Indian Sultanate courts.

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