Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


    • Qur'an stand, A.H. Dhu al-Hijja 761/October–November 1360 a.d.
    Made by Hasan ibn Sulaiman al-Isfahani
    Probably Iran or perhaps Central Asia
    Wood, carved and inlaid

    16 1/8 x 51 1/4 in. (41 x 130.2 cm)
    Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.218)

    This impressive Qur’an stand, or rahla, one the most accomplished works in wood to survive from Iran, bears the signature of its carver, who was probably from Isfahan in central Iran. The splendid carved decoration, which includes the motif of a flowered bush within a niche surrounded by calligraphic blessings upon the Prophet and the Twelve Imams, reveals a Shici association. Other inscriptions include the date as well as the name of the patron who ordered this stand for a madrasa (theological school), but they do not give the name of the school or the city where it was located.

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    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Ettinghausen, Richard. "Islamic Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 1 (Spring, 1975).
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  • Qur'an stand, A.H. Dhu al-Hijja 761/October–November 1360 a.d.
    Made by Hasan ibn Sulaiman al-Isfahani
    Probably Iran or perhaps Central Asia
    Wood, carved and inlaid

    16 1/8 x 51 1/4 in. (41 x 130.2 cm)
    Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.218)