Qur'an Manuscript Folio (verso) (right side of bifolio) (1300s–1400s): Art, History and Details

Qur'an Manuscript Folio (verso) (right side of bifolio) (1300s–1400s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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. The verses (ayat) written here come from the 53rd chapter (surah) of the Qur’an, also known as the Surah An-Najm, the Chapter of the Star. The significance of the Qur’an provides an explanation for the importance of calligraphy, but its use was not restricted to religious texts. Many objects in the museum's Islamic collection bear calligraphic inscriptions and come from secular contexts, displaying the versatility and creativity of this art form.

Object facts

• Title: Qur'an Manuscript Folio (verso) (right side of bifolio)
• Date: 1300s–1400s
• Culture: Egypt, Mamluk sultanate (1250–1517)
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: ink, gold, and colors on paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 23.7 x 16.2 cm (9 5/16 x 6 3/8 in.); Text area: 15.4 x 8.5 cm (6 1/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Islamic Art
• Department: Islamic Art
• Accession number: 1933.473.1.b

Collection credit

Edward L. Whittemore Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.