Folio from a Qur'an, sura 10:24-31

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur'an; recto: Sura Yunus (Jonah) 10: parts of 24-26 and 27, recto begins with "q[a]dirun"; verso: sura 10: 27-30 and part of 31; Arabic in black kufic script; vocalized in red with clusters of black strokes verse markers; one column; 13 lines of text.

• Label

  Until the later tenth century, most Qur'ans were written on parchment in an angular script, generally known as kufic, after the city of Kufa in southern Iraq, one of the main centers associated with the script’s development. Written with a reed pen, the kufic script is notable for its long horizontal and short vertical strokes. The horizontal format of most early Qur'ans further accentuated the letters’ shallow, sweeping strokes. The thick, almost heavy script of this page is relieved by small, regular spaces that lend it a measured formality.

  The tenth chapter (sura) of the Qur'an is entitled “Jonah,” and the verses above describe the pleasures awaiting those who trust in God.

• Provenance

  To 1929

  Kirkor Minassian, New York to 1929 [1]

  From 1929

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Kirkor Minassian, New York in 1929 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file, undated folder sheet note.

  [2] See note 1. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Untitled Exhibition, Persian and Near Eastern Art (May 5, 1933 to September 24, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian and Persian Art (March 24, 1930 to March 14, 1931)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Kirkor Minassian (1874-1944)

• Origin

  North Africa or Near East

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  900s, 800s

• Name

  Minassian, Kirkor

• Place

  North Africa, Near East

• Topic

  Sura 10, Kufic script, West Asia, Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Qur'an

• Culture

  Muslims

• Object Type

  Manuscripts