Inventory no.: 454

454

SOLD

volumes)

East Java, Indonesia, 18th-19th century

height: 29cm, width: 20cm, thickness: 4cm

This volume is the first of a two part Koran. It is entirely handwritten in black and red ink in Jawi script on Dutch watermarked paper and retains the original bindings which have been decorated with stencilled designs. (Jawi is the local version of Arabic; Arabic that was adapted to spoken Malay. It comprises adapted Arabic letters plus some local additions.)

The volume has one pair of finely illuminated pages in red and yellow watercolour, black ink and gold leaf highlights. The illuminations are typically Malay/Southeast Asian in style.

There are a total of 372 pages, or 186 double-sided manuscript leaves. In addition, there are 15 illuminated border illustrations in red watercolour and gold leaf which serve as section markers. The volume appears to be complete. Several pages are loose, the rest remain intact in the binding.

The condition of the cover bindings and some interior pages reflect the volume’s tropical origins. But most of the interior pages are in very good condition. Some do have work holes however, which is not unusual for early Korans from Southeast Asia.

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Inventory no.: 454

SOLD