

Folio from a Qur'an manuscript, Seljuq period (1040–1196), ca. 1180
Eastern Iran or present-day Afghanistan
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Eastern Iran or present-day Afghanistan
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
H. 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm), W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1929 (29.160.23)
The four lines of "Eastern kufic" script show very low, angular letters but the dominant feature is the combination of two very long, vertical letters (alif and lam), which form the peculiar pointed oval-shaped pattern that appears once on the page. The treatment of the background, entirely filled with vegetal scrolls terminating in large blossoms so that the script seems to be "carved out," sets this Qur'an apart from all the others known from this period.







