Two folios from a book of prayers

Object Details

• Description

  Detached double-folio from a book of prayers; Arabic in black, gold, and red late maghribi script with gold knot verse markers, illuminated heading, and illuminated marginal roundel; vocalized in red, hamza in gold dots; one column; 12 lines of text.

  Border: The text is set in gold and red rulings on a cream-colored paper.

• Label

  These two detached folios, originally part of a book of prayers, were probably copied in West Africa. Attributable to the nineteenth century, the folios are written in light brown ink in the maghribi script and are embellished with designs in ochre, blue, and red -- colors obviously inspred by the more costly gold and ground lapis lazuli used to illuminate manuscripts elsewhere in the Islamic world. Both the script and "illumination" of these folios recall the North African manuscript tradition and illustrate the close artistic link between North and sub-Saharan Africa.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Credit Line

  Bequest of Adrienne Minassian

• Type

  Calligraphy

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1890s

• Topic

  Art, Maghribi script, West Africa, Arts of the Islamic World, Prayer

• Culture

  Muslims

• Object Type

  Calligraphy (visual works)