Collection ID: 0023 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

al-Qurʼān.
[القرآن]

Authors

• Free Library of Philadelphia. Rare Book Department. John Frederick Lewis collection of Oriental Manuscripts

Other related names

• Kevorkian, H. 1872-1962, former owner
• Lewis, John Frederick, 1860-1932, former owner
• Lewis, Anne Baker, 1868-1937, donor
• Anderson Galleries, Inc, auctioneer

Call number

Lewis O 3
(Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 2438122
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1080520117
• https://know.freelibrary.org/Record/2438122

Publisher

Free Library of Philadelphia

Language

Arabic

Origin

Date

between 1500 and 1599?

Place

Iran?

Summary

Complete copy of the Qurʼān. Leaves at the beginning and end have been replaced in a similar style but different hand including the dual page illuminated opening leaves which are a later addition. Leaves missing pieces have been mended extremely neatly, see for example f. 437.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   

Extent

257 leaves : 317 x 200 (175 x 110) mm bound to 320 x 210 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil added, top left recto; catchwords on replacement leaves only, lower left verso.

Support

Paper

Binding

Roundback binding over pasteboard (Type III). Central lobed mandorla and pendants with embossed paper onlays. Space around the mandorla and pendants is cut away for an embossed and gilded paper inlay. Frame decoration and cornerpieces also embossed paper onlay. Inside covers also have embossed paper inlay designs for centerpiece and frame decoration.

Layout

11 long lines with three lines in larger script and eight lines in smaller script arranged in the following way: one large line, four small lines, another large line, 4 small lines, a final large line; border-ruled.

Decoration

Polychrome using black, blue, purple, red and gold inks. Dual page illumination on first opening (f. 1v-2r) with text in cloudbands. Textblock rule-bordered in gold, orange, blue with replacements leaves ruled in gold and blue; sūrah titles in white ink on a gold and blue panel with floral motifs; replacement leaf sūrah titles in white ink. Readings in red; gold roundels edged in blue dots mark verse ends. Polychrome medallions (blue center with flower motif painted on top and wide, gold lining) in the margins indicate sections and mark rukūʻ.

Script

Written in neat naskh and muḥ̣aqqaq in black ink, pointed and vocalized.

Provenance

• Gift of Anne Baker Lewis in 1933.
   
• Formerly owned by H. Kevorkian, sold by Anderson Auction Galleries, March 31-April 2, 1927 for $230 as part of The H. Kevorkian collection of Oriental Art, part 2 (note on sale catalogue leaf pasted onto the last flyleaf verso); "H. Kevorkian Collection" (bookplate on front flyleaf recto).
   
• Formerly owned by John Frederick Lewis.
   

Subjects topical

• Manuscripts, Arabic--16th century
• Manuscripts, Oriental--16th century
• Manuscripts, Arabic
• Manuscripts, Oriental

Genres

• Codices (bound manuscripts)
• Illuminations (painting)
• Manuscripts (documents)
• Qurʼans

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Rare Book Department Lewis O 3: al-Qurʼān. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  To the extent possible under law, Free Library of Philadelphia, Special Collections has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this metadata about Rare Book Department Lewis O 3: al-Qurʼān.. This work is published from: United States. For a summary of CC0, see https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. Legal code: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• fol. 1v — [al-Qurʼān].

Decorations

• fol. 1v — Dual page illuminated opening
• fol. 2r — Dual page illuminated opening
• fol. 7r — Example of marginal medallions
• fol. 17r — Example of marginal medallion with text division marker
• fol. 38v — Example of illuminated sūrah heading
• fol. 195v — Example of illuminated sūrah heading in inset box
• fol. 200r — Example of illuminated sūrah heading in lower box
• fol. 202r — Example of multiple medallions on a page
• fol. 215v — Example of illuminated sūrah heading in upper box
• fol. 224v — Example of illuminated sūrah heading in center box
• fol. 447v — Example of sūrah title on replacement pages
• fol. 451r — Example of flower-petal decorations