This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in:English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Qur'an

Location:

Dublin, Ireland

Holding Museum:

The Chester Beatty Library

 About The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

Date of Object:

Hegira 10th century / AD 16th century

Museum Inventory Number:

CBL Is 1545

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Coloured pigments and gold on paper

Dimensions:

46.2 x 30.3 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Safavid

Provenance:

Iran

Description:

Although no documentary information exists for this Qur’an, it is obvious it was produced for a wealthy, possibly influential, individual. The facing shamsas, or sun-like medallions, at the beginning of the manuscript — and most of its other illuminations — consist mainly of dense mats of finely rendered arabesque vines from which spring tiny coloured blossoms. Like many manuscripts produced during the Safavid era, the illuminations are executed in a palette of blue, red and gold, with touches of yellow. Text pages consist of blocks of black naskhi script, bordered by vertical panels of blue and gold arabesques and set between longer lines of large blue or gold thuluth script. Large Qur’ans such as this are typical of Safavid production.

Citation of this web page:

 "Qur'an" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;ir;Mus21;12;en


MWNF Working Number: IR 12