Leaf from a Qur'an (recto)
Unknown Artist
1300s
Medium
ink, gold, color on pink paper
Dimensions
45 × 33 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Donna L. and Robert H. Jackson
Accession Number
2013.102.a
About this artwork
It is through the Arabic language that the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the 600s. As a result, calligraphy is celebrated as the highest form in Islamic art. This page shows 13 lines from the Qur’an in muhaqqa script, one of the six main script types of Arabic calligraphy. The Qur’an’s importance explains the significance of calligraphy; however, the latter was not restricted to just religious texts. Many objects in the Islamic art gallery bear calligraphic inscriptions and come...