Object Description
Mamluk Qur’anic manuscript leaf in Maghribi script, 14th–15th century
North African, 14-15th Century
Print: Height 39cm, width 31cm
Frame: Height 73cm, width 62cm, depth 4cm
This manuscript leaf is from a Qur’an produced in North Africa during the Mamluk period, a 14th–15th century Sultanate famous for its artistic patronage, refined calligraphy, and monumental Qur’anic production. The text is rendered in elegant Maghribi script in black ink, with red diacritical marks, and is punctuated by illuminated gold rosettes and teardrop motifs marking verse divisions. The composition demonstrates the rhythm and harmony characteristic of Mamluk Qur’anic calligraphy, in which visual balance was understood as a reflection of divine order.
The Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) nurtured one of the most sophisticated traditions of Qur’an manuscript production in the Islamic world. Under the patronage of sultans, emirs, and religious endowments, scribes and illuminators collaborated to produce manuscripts that combined spiritual devotion with extraordinary craftsmanship. This leaf likely derives from a large-format Qur’an commissioned for a madrasa (an educational institution) or mosque, exemplifying the solemnity and splendour that characterise Mamluk art.
Set within a giltwood frame with a double mount, the illumination’s luminous gold details are subtly enhanced against the parchment’s natural tone.
It bears witness to the intellectual and artistic refinement of the late medieval Islamic world, becoming a remarkable addition to any collection of Qur’anic or calligraphic art.