Folio from a Qur'an, sura 8:45-49

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur'an; recto: Sura al-Anfal (the Spoils of war) 8: parts of verse 45, 46- 47, recto begins with "kathiran"; verso: sura 8:48 and part of 49, verso begins with "waqala"; Arabic in black "eastern kufic (New Style)" script with gold rosette verse markers and illuminated marginal palmette, vocalized in red, tashdid and sukun in blue; one column; nine lines of text.

• Label

  This folio is written in the so-called eastern kufic script, associated with Iran and central Asia. The verses here are from sura 8, entitled "al-Anfal" (The Spoils of War) and explain some of the advantages of military discipline.

• Provenance

  To 1970

  Adrienne Minassian, New York to 1970 [1]

  From 1970 to 1997

  Ralph and Catherine Benkaim, Beverly Hills, CA, purchased from Adrienne Minassian in 1970 [2]

  From 1997

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Ralph and Catherine Benkaim in 1997

  Notes:

  [1] According to Provenance Remark 1 in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Imaging the Word: Selections of Calligraphy from the Islamic World (November 17, 1999 to May 7, 2000)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Adrienne Minassian (1913-1994)

  Ralph and Catherine Benkaim

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  The Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

• 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

  Minassian, Adrienne, Benkaim, Ralph and Catherine

• Topic

  Sura 8, Art, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Writing, Arts of the Islamic World, Qur'an

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Arabic language

• Object Type

  Manuscripts