Folio from a Qur'an, Sura 5:52-54

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur'an; recto: Sura al-Ma'ida (the Table Spread) 5: part of verse 52, 53, recto begins with "ya'tia bi'l fathi"; verso: sura 5:53 and part of 54, verso begins with "bi Allahi"; Arabic in black "eastern kufic (New Style)" script; illuminated inscribed verse markers; vocalized in red, tashdid and sukun in blue, letters for recitation in brown; one column; 4 lines of text.

  Border: The text area is filled with palmette scrolls and set within an illuminated frame that terminates at the top and bottom in a semi-medallion.

• Label

  By the eleventh century, a number of distinct kufic scripts had developed. In Iran, the letters became more refined, characterized by elongated vertical strokes with left-facing flourishes. In this folio, from a now-dispersed copy of the Qur'an, the vegetal scroll design, usually reserved for discrete areas of illumination, serves as a backdrop to the elegantly proportioned words. This is the only known Qur'an decorated in this unusual and elaborate manner.

• Provenance

  ?-1939

  Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1939

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries, New York [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, showing that the object was delivered to the Freer for examination, by Mr. Nasli Heeramaneck, on October 2, 1939. The object is listed as “No. 3 Page from a Koran.” Nasli M. Heeramaneck (1902-1971) was born in Bombay and became a collector and dealer of Islamic, Central Asian, and Pre-Columbian antiquities. He had eponymous galleries, initially in Paris in the 1920s and then in New York in the 1930s. In New York he met and married American painter Alice Arvine (1910-1993). Alice became an active partner in the gallery and their collecting pursuits.

  [2] See object file for copy of Heeramaneck Galleries invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated November 30, 1939, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on November 22, 1939. The object is described as “1 Illuminated page from a Koran, Arabic, 11th-12th century.”

  Research updated October 11, 2023

• 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)

  Islamic Art (May 9, 1993 to June 3, 1997)

  Islamic Calligraphy (May 14, 1981 to June 24, 1982)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Calligraphy (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art--Calligraphy (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Near Eastern Art (January 1, 1963 to August 18, 1967)

  Islamic Art, Gallery 6A (July 22, 1958 to June 5, 1964)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964)

• Origin

  Afghanistan

• 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

  1100s, 1000s

• Name

  Heeramaneck Galleries

• Place

  Afghanistan

• Topic

  Art, Writing, Arts of the Islamic World, Qur'an, Sura 5

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Arabic language

• Object Type

  Manuscripts