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Qur'an Manuscript Folio (Recto); Left Folio of Double-Page Illuminated Frontispiece, 1500s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

The sending down of the Book is from God the All-mighty, the All-wise. Surah XXXIX: 1-3 The Qur'an is the sacred book of Islam. In the view of orthodox Muslims, it is the literal word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632) in the Arabic language, and thus, recorded in the Arabic script. Because of its association with the divine word, Arabic calligraphy came to be a supreme art form in the Islamic world. As the quintessential symbol of the culture, it became a pervasive decorative element in Islamic art and architecture. Although secondary to calligraphy, a splendid tradition of illumination –that is, ornamentation with colors and gold– developed to enhance the pages of the Qur'an. Because of the prestige associated with the book arts in the Islamic world, the decorative motifs employed by illuminators (scrolling vines, blossoms, lozenges, adn cartouches) found their way into other art forms, for example, metalwork, textiles, and carpets. Size: Sheet: 28 x 17.4 cm (11 x 6 7/8 in.); Text area: 8.4 x 6.4 cm (3 5/16 x 2 ½ in.) Medium: ink, gold, and colors on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.746.2.a

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Illuminated Folio (verso) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213-1291), Sultan Muhammad, c. 1525-30, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

The Gulistan, completed around 1258, is one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature. The book’s name means “rose garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. Written in both prose and verse, the Gulistan was used for centuries as a primer for schoolchildren in greater Iran, India, and Turkey. The text on these pages is written in nastaliq script and comes from the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.” The exquisite borders of these two folios show lions, dragons, foxes, and peacocks in a lush landscape, painted in gold and silver that has tarnished over time. Size: Overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 ½ in.); Text area: 16.3 x 9.8 cm (6 7/16 x 3 7/8 in.) Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, gold and silver on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/2006.147.b

uispeccoll

#MiniatureMonday

Arabic Octagonal Qur’an

Likely produced during the tail end of The Islamic Golden Age, (ca 8th to 14th century) which was a period of cultural, economic and scientific flourishing in the greater Middle East, this remarkable miniature Qur'an is handwritten in fully vocalized Arabic on octagonal pages inside a gold border. It is contained in red spherical case with clasp, and the whole thing is preserved in a special case made by the University of Iowa conservation department.

Read more about it here

Check back in on Thursday for another book in Arabic from the archives!

–Diane R.

cma-islamic-art

Princess with Wine Bottle and Cup (recto); Persian Verses (verso), c. 1550-1600 (recto); c. 1450-1500 (verso), Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

Single-page depictions of courtly figures became popular in Iran during the 1500s. The subject here conveys Safavid ideals of female beauty. Long dark hair falls in jeweled braids down to her ankles, while shorter tendrils frame her full, smooth face. She is shown in the three-quarter profile favored in Persian painting. The contrasting colors of the bright blue of her robe and the orange of her sash and tunic beneath are features of Safavid fashion. Size: Verso image: 11.8 x 5.3 cm (4 5/8 x 2 1/16 in.); Recto Image: 12.2 x 5.7 cm (4 13/16 x 2 ¼ in.); Overall: 37.1 x 24.8 cm (14 5/8 x 9 ¾ in.) Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/1947.496

cma-islamic-art

Illuminated Folio (recto) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213-1291), Sultan Ali Mashhadi, c. 1475–1500, borders added c. 1550, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

The Gulistan, completed around 1258, is one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature. The book’s name means “rose garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. Written in both prose and verse, the Gulistan was used for centuries as a primer for schoolchildren in greater Iran, India, and Turkey. The text on these pages is written in nastaliq script and comes from the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.” The exquisite borders of these two folios show lions, dragons, foxes, and peacocks in a lush landscape, painted in gold and silver that has tarnished over time. Size: Overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 ½ in.); Text area: 16.1 x 9.6 cm (6 5/16 x 3 ¾ in.) Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/2006.148.a

cma-islamic-art

Shamsa, recto of the right folio from a double-page frontispiece of a Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (940–1019 or 1025), c. 1444, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

Size: Image: 27.7 x 10.3 cm (10 7/8 x 4 1/16 in.); Overall: 32.5 x 22.1 cm (12 13/16 x 8 11/16 in.) Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/1945.169.a

cma-islamic-art

Illuminated Folio (recto) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213-1291), Sultan Muhammad, c. 1525-30, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

The Gulistan, completed around 1258, is one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature. The book’s name means “rose garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. Written in both prose and verse, the Gulistan was used for centuries as a primer for schoolchildren in greater Iran, India, and Turkey. The text on these pages is written in nastaliq script and comes from the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.” The exquisite borders of these two folios show lions, dragons, foxes, and peacocks in a lush landscape, painted in gold and silver that has tarnished over time. Size: Overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 ½ in.); Text area: 16.3 x 9.8 cm (6 7/16 x 3 7/8 in.) Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, gold and silver on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/2006.147.a

cma-islamic-art

Folio from an Album with Musicians and Servants Outside a Royal Encampment (recto) and Calligraphy, Persian Verses (verso), Bihzad, c. 1485, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic Art

This unfinished painting—the left side of a double- page composition—shows a group of musicians on the far side of a stream and figures trying to gain entry to the royal encampment on the near side. Below, a cook prepares meat on a brazier while a servant holds a stick of kabobs over a dish. One man has fallen to the ground, probably intoxicated. One of the most famed painters from the Timurid court, Bihzad is known for his carefully balanced compositions and precise draftsmanship, and other artists emulated his style. After his death his works were regarded as the exemplars of Persian painting, both in Iran and in Mughal India, whose emperors collected his work. Medium: opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper

https://clevelandart.org/art/1944.490

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“Coffin of Imam ‘Ali”, Folio from a Falnama (The Book of Omens) of Ja'far al-Sadiq, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Islamic Art

Purchase, Francis M. Weld Gift, 1950 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

heaveninawildflower

1) Ursa Minor and Ursa Major

2) Draco

3) Lyre and Cygnus

4) Pegasus and Andromeda

5) Aries

6) Taurus and Gemini

7) Scorpio and Sagittarius

8) Capricorn and Aquarius

9) Centaurus and Lupus

10) Hydra, Crater, and Corvus

Images taken from theTurkish version of ‘Aja'ib al-makhluqat (Wonders of creation) by Zakariya al-Qazwini (died 692 AH/AH 1293) completed in 1121 AH/AD 1717 by Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-‘i Nathani.

Walters Art Museum

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