Right-Hand Page from the Qur'an
Safavid dynasty (1501–1722)، 16th century
Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
32.6 × 19.5 cm (12 7/8 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
calligraphy
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131893
Art Historical Context
This exquisite right-hand page from a Qur'an manuscript, created during the Safavid dynasty in16th-century Persia (modern-day Iran), exemplifies the pinnacle of Islamic calligraphy. between 1501 and 1722, the Safavid era marked a golden age for Persian arts, where illuminated manuscripts flourished under royal patronage. Measuring 32.6 × 19.5 cm, this leaf from the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection captures a single page of sacred text, rendered in ink with vibrant opaque watercolors on paper—a medium prized for its delicacy and ability to hold intricate designs. Islamic tra...
About the Artist
Islamic
Islamic art, a profound visual tradition originating in the 7th century CE, flourished across vast territories from Spain to India under Muslim rule, encompassing architecture, ceramics, manuscripts, textiles, and metalwork produced by diverse artisans rather than a single named master. Drawing from pre-Islamic Sasanian, Byzantine, and late antique influences, its early development under the Umayy...