Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript
Unknown Artist
ca. 1180
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm) W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.160.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio from a Qur'an, dating to around 1180, offers a glimpse into the golden age of Islamic calligraphy and book arts. Produced during the medieval Islamic period, likely in a region like Persia or the Abbasid heartlands, it formed part of a larger codex—a bound volume of the sacred Qur'anic text. Such manuscripts were not mere books but objects of profound devotion, meticulously crafted to honor Allah's words with visual splendor. The artwork's medium—ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper—highlights innovative techniques of the era. Precise Kufic or early Naskh script rend...