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9
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Tuareg Koran Central Sahara, probably Chad, late 19th centur…
See original version (French)
9
-
Tuareg Koran Central Sahara, probably Chad, late 19th centur…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Tuareg Koran
Central Sahara, probably Chad, late 19th century
Arabic manuscript on thick paper, approx. 485 unbound leaves, calligraphed in black ink in Barnawi script at a rate of nine to fifteen lines per page; the sura titles, vocalisation signs and textual markers (verse separators, prostration indications, marginal markers) are enhanced in polychrome.
The set is preserved in its Sahelian-style leather case with triangular flap, accompanied by its leather binding with embossed geometric decoration.
Condition: wear from use, binding and slipcase with patina, some leaves missing.
H. 19 x W. 24 x D. 10 cm (7.5 x 9.5 x 3.9 in.)
Bibliography :
D.R.S. Bivar, The Arabic Calligraphy of West Africa, 1968, pp. 3-15 ;
Andrea Brigaglia and Mauro Nobili, The Arts and Crafts of Literacy: Islamic Manuscript Cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2013, p. 217.
The text is written in the Barnâwî script, which is widespread throughout the Sahel region as far as the Tuareg confines of Niger and Mali. Long thought to be a regional variant of Maghribi, this script has been recognised, since the work of D. R. S. Bivar (1968) and more recently by A. Brigaglia and M. Nobili (2013), as an autonomous calligraphic tradition: its broad, strong line, the contrast between rounded forms and angular segments and the characteristic brevity of the stems reveal a notable influence from the archaic Kûfî script, which sets it apart from its Maghrebi cousins.
A Saharan Qur'an manuscript, Arabic text on thick paper, approximately 485 unbound folios calligraphed in black ink in barnâwî script, 9 to 15 lines per page, with sûra headings, vocalisation marks and textual markers picked out in polychromy. Together with its embossed leather binding and triangular-flap leather case - a characteristic Sahelian format. Probably Chad, late 19th century.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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