The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Page from a Qur'an, Sura al-Nisa 4, verses 159–60
1100s
Overall: 32 x 21.3 cm (12 5/8 x 8 3/8 in.); Text area: 23 x 16 cm (9 1/16 x 6 5/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1939.507.b
Location: 116 Islamic
Did You Know?
Calligraphers and poets enjoyed higher status than painters and architects in Islamic countries.Description
Arabic calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing, was elevated above all other art forms in the Islamic world because Allah, or God, revealed the divine word of Islam to the Prophet Muhammad (570–632) in the Arabic language.This Qur’an page is considered one of the most splendid examples of Arabic calligraphy. Based on the proportions of Arabic letters, majestic eastern Kufic script features elongated letters with long upstrokes and low strokes swaying to the left. Contours echoing the letters separate the sacred text from the lively arabesque background of foliage in rhythmic patterns. This vertical layout on paper replaces the earlier horizontal format on parchment.
- ?–1939(Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1939–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: pp. 26–29; Reproduced: p. 27
- Art of the Islamic World (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 24, 2025-May 10, 2026).Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956).
- {{cite web|title=Page from a Qur'an, Sura al-Nisa 4, verses 159–60|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1939.507.b