Leaf from The Blue Qur’an

This leaf from The Blue Qur’an from North Africa around 880-950 century AD will be discussed at Abu Dhabi Art 2015 edition by experts from Musée du Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo.

Both sides of the leaf made of parchment show five lines made of Kufic inscription in gold on blue vellum, with no vocalisation or diacritical points. Each verse is marked by a floral pattern illuminated in oxidised silver, and every count of five verses is highlighted by a pattern illuminated in the margin. This oblong format, called the “Italian” format is a characteristic of ancient manuscripts from the western part of the Muslim World. The format is adapted to the Kufic style used on this parchment, where some letters on the baseline is stretched disproportionately. This practice called “mashq” was of high popularity between the ninth and tenth centuries.

You might have recognised it from Louvre Abu Dhabi Talking Art Series: Representation and Symbolism of Light.

Leaf from The Blue Qur’an, North Africa, Spain or Sicily, c. 880-950 century AD, Gold on blue-dyed parchment, 28.5 x 38.2 cm, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, Photography: Agence photo F