A North Indian(?) Qur'an from the early Mughal period, 1517 CE
Source: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/search/LotDetail.asp?sid=&intObjectID=3894645&SE=CMWCAT03+385379+83744047+&QR=M+1+64+Aqc0000900+355488++Aqc0000900+&entry=india&SU=1&RQ=True&AN=65
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QUR'AN JUZ XV and XVI (PART). Possibly Mughal India, AH 923/1517 AD. Manuscript on buff paper, 31ff. with 9ll., the first and last in blue muhaqqaq, the fifth line in gold thuluth, the remaining lines of text in black naskh, gold rosettes between verses, two sura headings in white on gold panels with fine illumination, similarly illuminated marginal devices every fifth and tenth verse, the parts of the juz marked in gold naskh in the margin, occasional marginal annotations in red or black naskh, restoration of worm damage to margins, otherwise good condition, modern black morocco binding with flap. Folio 13½ x 8in. (34.3 x 20.5cm.)
Lot Notes: The Qur'an from which this section comes was originally conceived
in two parts. The second half is in the collection of Nasser D. Khalili (James,
D.: After Timur, Oxford, 1992, no. 53, pp.220-223). It bears the date AH 923
and is signed by an unknown scribe Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman. The calligraphy
and illumination are of very high quality. James attributes the Qur'an to Northern
India based on the narrowness of the format and the deviation from normal Iranian
design features, making this a rare survival of Indian book production from
the early 16th century."