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62 - Qur'an manuscript, 1884 An illuminated manuscript in a singl…
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Estimate €2,500 - €3,500
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Description
Qur'an manuscript, 1884 An illuminated manuscript in a single volume on watermarked paper with a triple crescent moon, in Arabic. According to the colophon, it was executed in 1884 in the village of Qariyat Yabroud by the scribe Hassan ibn Hassan Rumiyyah. 31 x 21 cm. 15 lines of black cursive naskh on a single column. Copied in an informal hand, sura titles and marginal verse markings in orange, leaves double ruled in orange, contemporary keywords throughout, two opening suras with copper additions and lengths of coloured paper pasted to the leaves to create decorative borders around the text, some adhesions to the upper margins of most leaves (causing a few small tears, rarely affecting the text), some leaves slightly browned. Bound in contemporary Ottoman-style dark red morocco with flap, boards with central medallions embossed in inlaid gilt paper decorated with floral and vegetal motifs in relief, rubbed with a few missing paper additions, contemporary marbled paper spandrels, overall bright and attractive binding. Pagination: i-xxiii10, xxiv7 (collated complete except for the last blank leaf to complete the final assembly). Some adhesions to the upper margins of most leaves (causing a few small tears, rarely affecting the text), some leaves slightly browned. Bound in contemporary Ottoman-style dark red morocco with flap, boards with central medallions embossed in inlaid gilt paper decorated with floral and vegetal motifs in relief, rubbed with a few missing paper additions, contemporary marbled paper counter-papers, overall attractive binding. The use of copper illumination for the frontispiece of this Qur'an is highly unusual. Typically, handwritten Qur'ans are adorned with gold to highlight the first two suras, a symbol of opulence, wealth and grandeur, as well as serving as a gateway to the sacred text. The colophon states that the volume was copied on a Friday in January (Shahr Kanun al-Thani) in the village of Yabroud by the scribe Hassan ibn Hassan Rumiyah. The use of a month from the Christian calendar is highly unusual, which, combined with the scribe's name (Rumiyah meaning the Roman, i.e. the Christian), indicates that manuscripts were produced in a region populated by both Christians and Muslims. The mention of the village of Yabroud may correspond to two possible locations. The first is a town in south-west Syria (on the border with Lebanon), historically known for having been home to large Christian communities and which is believed to house the oldest church in Syria. The second is a small village in the centre of the West Bank in Palestine, also multi-faith and known to have been under Ottoman occupation at the time this manuscript was produced. In both cases, the presence of a scribe of Western or Christian origin and the use of the Christian calendar make this provincial Qur'an an object of great rarity and interest.
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About the sale ANA AND JAMES MELIKIAN COLLECTION - PART II
Auction location
Auction time 06/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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