Qur'an On Cloth, India, 31 July 1718 CE /3 Ramadan 1130 AH to 11 July 1720 CE / 5 Ramadan 1132 AH, Cloth, hand-written, ink, paint and gold leaf, AKM487

Qur'an On Cloth, India, 31 July 1718 CE /3 Ramadan 1130 AH to 11 July 1720 CE / 5 Ramadan 1132 AH, Cloth, hand-written, ink, paint and gold leaf, AKM487

The fusion of Persian and Indian art found in eighteenth-century Mughal India is embodied in this Qur'an written on cloth. Its various scripts--the minute ghubari ('dust') of the text, with chapter headings in majestic red thuluth--demonstrate the scribe's skill, adorned by the red and black forms that mark each verse and the five large roundels evoking the name of God (bismillah) in gold and polychrome. The scribe adds his name, Munshi 'Abd Khan al-Qadiri, along with the dates that reveal how long it took him to create this masterpiece: almost exactly two years. A gift to the governor of Allahabad, Amir 'Abdalla, this portable textile-book would confer blessings and protection on his military campaigns.

Aga Khan Museum

31 July 1718 CE /3 Ramadan 1130 AH to 11 July 1720 CE / 5 Ramadan 1132 AH

Photographer Credit: Courtesy of the Aga Khan Museum

Aga Khan Museum

Dimensions: 111.8 x 241.4 cm

Materials: Cloth, hand-written, ink, paint and gold leaf

Arabic

AKM487

India