ILLUMINATED LEAF

Manuscript Koran Leaf

      1480. ILLUMINATED LEAF. Manuscript Koran leaf. Turkey, late 15th century. Single leaf, measuring 7 by 10 inches, written in black ink; handsomely matted with gold fillets in beige cloth and window-framed, entire piece measures 12-1/2 by 16 inches. $1250. Scarce 15th-century Ottoman leaf from a selection of parts of the Koran, with five lines of strikingly bold, black muhaqqaq script on heavy buff paper, handsomely framed with gold fillet and silk matting. This highly desirable leaf is from a late 15th-century selection of parts of the Koran, most likely of Ottoman origin. Five lines of bold, black muhaqqaq script (a type of calligraphic script that died out in the 16th-century and was derived from Thuluth script, which was used in the middle ages on mosque decorations) are written on heavy buff paper, which originally opened bifolio. The leaf has been window-framed and the verso is similar. A beautiful framed leaf in fine condition.