Yueling Li and Christiane Gruber Synopsis: In this short talk, we present a beautiful Chinese Qur’an held in the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah in Kuwait, which was written by a female calligrapher in Beijing in 1050 AH / 1640 CE. We focus on the manuscript’s richly illuminated ornaments and its colophon in particular to show how…
Tag: The Qur’an Topics
A Miniature Qur’an and its Silver Case
Christiane Gruber Synopsis: The Special Collections Research Center at University of Michigan Library holds an 18th– or 19th-century miniature manuscript of the Qur’an and its accompanying silver case. Both fit snugly in the palm of a hand as well as within a pocket, thus maximizing physical intimacy and portability for the potential owner. Beyond the…
The Bryce Miniature Qur’an and Its Travels Across the Globe
Mira Xenia Schwerda Synopsis: This talk focuses on a miniature Qur’an executed in golden ink and housed in a metal locket, now held in the collection of the Centre for Research Collections at the University of Edinburgh. This Qur’an may look like a manuscript, but it is an early printed book. It reproduces a handwritten,…
The Gwalior Qur’an
Marika Sardar Synopsis: Completed in 1399, the Gwalior Qur’an features illuminations, commentaries, and notations in addition to the Qur’anic text. These include a set of instructions to use the Qur’an as a divinatory text—the earliest known example of its kind. This rich and varied compendium of texts speak to the cultural and historical context that…