Folio from the Blue Qur'an
Type:
Illuminated manuscripts,
Qur'ans
Date:
Mid-tenth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Tunisia
Medium:
Parchment
Dimensions:
Approximately 30 × 40 cm
Description:
The Blue Qur'an, whose pages are now dispersed across different institutions, was made with indigo- or woad-dyed parchment, Kufic script written in gold, and silver sura markers, now tarnished. Unlike Christian books from the same period, it has a distinctive horizontal format preferred for Qur'ans. Although it has minimal ornamentation, the Blue Qur'an would evidently have been regarded as a luxurious, precious book. It have recalled other examples of gold writing on a blue background, for example at the Dome of the Rock or in certain Byzantine manuscripts (e.g., the Rossano Gospels). The place of production is uncertain, but Tunisia is one likely possibility.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
5
Repository and Online Resources:
• See more details of this leaf from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Visit the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies' website for Islamic Manuscript Basics.
