QUR'AN.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Miniature illuminated manuscript. An attractive miniature manuscript Qur'an produced in Qajar Persia, in a fine lacquer binding preserved in its original state, with floral and bouquet motifs and lacquer doublures. It was copied by Mirza Muhammad al-Khonsari (also transliterated as Khavansari, Khansari, or Khwansari), son of the late Mahdi; he is recorded as a student of Mohammed Mehdi Tehrani and a teacher of Mirza Mohammed Reza Kahlor. A calligrapher named Muhammad Mahdi al-Khavansari or al-Khansari – perhaps his father – was active in the 1840s in Isfahan; the town of Khansar lies near Isfahan.Historically, miniature manuscript Qur'ans were used for personal devotion and protection, functioning as amulets, with the earliest surviving examples dating chiefly from the late medieval period. In the Ottoman Turkish world, they were tied to military standards and carried into battle; in India and Persia, they were likewise carried in the pocket, generally close to the body. Miniature manuscripts also allowed scribes to show off their outstanding skills, by writing in the minute ghubār ("dust-like") script.

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