Lot 3: AN ILLUMINATED CHINESE QURAN SECTION JUZ, 18TH - 19TH CENTURY
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This illuminated Chinese Quran section, or juz, is executed in ink, pigments, and gold leaf on cream-toned paper. The manuscript features a bold script characteristic of Chinese Islamic calligraphy, arranged in five lines per page. The text is written in black ink with vocalization marks and diacritics rendered in red ink. The content includes verses from Surah Al-Isra (17:11-14) and Surah Al-Kahf (18:62-66 and 18:73-74). A lavish double-page frontispiece contains extensive illumination using gold leaf and lapis-colored blue pigments. The central text panels are set against a textured gold ground with floral and foliate motifs. The borders include an inner blue geometric meander pattern and a wider black-ground border decorated with gold leaf vine scrolls and floral blossoms. The outer edges of the illumination are finished with a scalloped gold border. Two diamond-shaped panels at the top of the illuminated pages contain stylized Kufic script in gold on blue and red grounds. Small catchwords are present in the lower margins to maintain page sequence. The volume is housed in a dark leather binding, likely goat-skin.
22.5 x 17cm
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