QUR'ANPOSSIBLY ALMERIA, AL-ANDALUS, 12TH CENTURYQUR'ANPOSSIBLY ALMERIA, AL-ANDALUS, 12TH CENTURYArabic manuscript on parchment, 130ff. plus five flyleaves, each folio with 28 or 29ll. of fine maghribi calligraphy, gold and green marginal medallions, sura headings in gold kufic with gold and green pendants jutting into the margin, the opening bifolio with paired geometric octograms, in later gilt tooled brown morocco with flap, with paper doublures3 1/4 x 3 1/2in. (8.4 x 8.8cm.)The master scribes of Valencia, Cordoba, Seville and Almeria were renowned across the medieval Maghrib, and the biographical dictionaries abound with references not only to their exquisite penmanship, but also for their piety and moral virtues. Nearly all the surviving Andalusi Qur’ans from this period are characterised by their relatively small size and distinctively square shape. Usually described as ‘pocket Qur’ans’, these manuscripts probably functioned as personal or travel copies, to be read during private acts of devotion, especially during the month of Ramadan. They could also be employed as talismans, to be kept in one's purse, pocket, sleeve or turban with the purpose of protecting their owner from evil spirits. The compact format of the present lot is arguably what allowed it to survive largely intact, whereas larger contemporaneous codices only survive in the form of sparse folios or fragments. The dimensions of such manuscripts made them impossible to hide or transport during the most critical phases of the Reconquista, at which time the present manuscript is likely to have been smuggled over the sea to North Africa, as is suggested by the eighteenth-century Moroccan binding. The few extant manuscripts from this early period are particularly valuable, and offer the rare opportunity to come into contact with religious and artistic practices that were intentionally and systematically wiped out by the new Christian rulers.The most distinctive feature of this manuscript is the remarkable diminutive script, which required long and painstaking work and was achieved with a hard, needle-like nib on extremely thin parchment. Illumination was employed lavishly throughout, using a pigment made from pure gold powder applied onto portions of the page, then outlined in black ink. The titles of suras are each executed in kufic chrysography, and flanked by a round foliated device. Gold and red medallions inscribed with the word hizb were also added in the margins to mark the beginning of each sixtieth of the text. The manuscript also opens with an intricate geometric design based on a central octogram whose sides are projected outwards and intertwined with a double square frame. Interestingly, on f.1a one can see the traces left by the dry point and ruler that the artist used to create the geometric pattern for the frontispiece on the other side of the folio. To the medieval eye, the minute subtlety of the calligraphy must have represented a wondrous demonstration of bravura in line with the aesthetic of ‘ajab (‘marvel’, ‘prodigy’) traditionally associated with Allah and His manifestations. Our manuscript can be dated from material and stylistic parallels with two dated manuscripts, one which was copied in Almeria in 1139, now kept in the National Library of Spain (Ms. RES/272) and another dated AH 580/1184 AD in the Saxon State and University Library (Ms. Ea.293). In particular, the geometric plaited motif in the outer frame of the frontispiece of ours is identical to the colophon of the Almeria Qur’an. With the exception of these two manuscripts, all the other Maghribi Qur'ans of this size that are known date from a much later period, between the sixteenth century (Bodleian Library, Oxford, Ms. Thurston 36) and the eighteenth century (Istanbul University Library, Ms. 6756). This manuscript is thus a rare and beautiful survivor of a period of great cultural and artistic vivacity, on which much has been written and fantasised, but of which precious little survives.We wish to express our gratitude to Umberto Bongianino for his assistance in the research and preparation of this entry.细节 QURANPOSSIBLY ALMERIA, AL-ANDALUS, 12TH CENTURYArabic manuscript on parchment, 130ff. plus five flyleaves, each folio with 28 or 29ll. of fine maghribi calligraphy, gold and green marginal medallions, sura headings in gold kufic with gold and green pendants jutting into the margin, the opening bifolio with paired geometric octograms, in later gilt tooled brown morocco with flap, with paper doublures3 1/4 x 3 1/2in. (8.4 x 8.8cm.) 注意事项 No VAT on hammer price or buyers premium.