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Leaf from a Qur'an
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
It is through the Arabic language that the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the 600s. As a result, calligraphy is celebrated as the highest form in Islamic art. This page shows 13 lines from the Qur’an in muhaqqa script, one of the six main script types of Arabic calligraphy. The Qur’an’s importance explains the significance of calligraphy; however, the latter was not restricted to just religious texts. Many objects in the Islamic art gallery bear calligraphic inscriptions and come from secular contexts, displaying the versatility and creativity of this art form.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineLeaf from a Qur'an, 1300s. Egypt, Cairo, Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). Ink, gold, color on pink paper; sheet: 45 x 33 cm (17 11/16 x 13 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Donna L. and Robert H. Jackson, 2013.102
