From the court of Shah Tahmasp. An exceptional qur'anic juz with calligraphy attributed to the court calligrapher to Shah Tahmasp, Ahmad Al-Khalili Al-Tabrizi, from the private collection of Tammaro De Marinis (1878-1969); an accomplished scholar and one of the most renowned book-dealers of the twentieth century, notably acquiring manuscripts for the collection of J. P. Morgan (1837-1913).

Srtiking parallels have been identified between this manuscript and another juz', also from an imperial Safavid Qur'an, currently housed in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Inv. No. TIEM 422), Istanbul.Their manuscript was copied by Shah Tahmasp's (r. 1524-1576) court calligrapher Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi and dated 979 A.H (1571 A.D). The two manuscripts present notably similar illumination, size, bindings and calligraphy. The frontispiece illumination and calligraphy of the present juz' is almost identical to that of the TIEM Qur'an suggesting that the juz' was also produced by the Safavid court workshop in circa 1570. The frontispiece illumination of both manuscripts is based on a double-page design created and favoured by the Timurids towards the end of the 15th century. A Qur'an featuring this type of frontispiece illumination, produced between 1500-1550, in late Timurid Herat or early Safavid Tabriz, is in the Khalili Collection, see, David James, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art – After Timur (The Nour Foundation, cat. 31).

Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khalili al-Tabrizi was a Safavid court calligrapher who worked for the palace workshop during the reign of Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-1576). According to the Ottoman historian Mustakimzade Suleyman Saadeddin Efendi, he was also called 'Ghiyath al-Din Khalili'. He was born in Tabriz and famed for his mastery in calligraphy during his time in the court workshop under the patronage of Shah Tahmasp, who sent al-Tabrizi to Istanbul specifically to copy a manuscript Qur'an for the recently enthroned Ottoman Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595). Al-Tabrizi completed this Qur'an and presented it to Murad in 983 AH (1575 AD). Sultan Murad appreciated his mastery in calligraphy and rewarded him generously for his efforts and the Qur'an was later endowed to the Mausoleum of Abi Ayyub al-Ansari in Istanbul. Mustakimzade also states that another Qur'an copied by Muhammad was in the Mausoleum of Grand-vizier Murad Pasha. See Mustakimzade Suleyman Saadeddin Efendi, Tuhfe-i Hattatin (Istanbul, 1928, p. 382) and Mehdi Bayani Ahval va Athar-i Khushnivisan (Intisharat-i Ilmi, Vol. III, 1363 (1943), p. 1140) for more information on the al-Tabrizi.

The practice of writing in gold was extremely expensive and reserved to manuscripts produced under royal patronage. Some of the earliest Qur'ans written in gold muhaqqaq script like the present juz' were produced for the Ilkhanid rulers Ghazan Khan (r. 1295-1304) and Oljaytu (r. 1304-1316); for more information see David James Qur'ans of the Mamluks (Alexandria Press, Thames & Hudson, 1988). From the 15th century, there is a royal Qur'an in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, written for a member of the Aqqoyunlu court -probably for Uzun Hasan or his son Yaqub Beg- which features a magnificent frontispiece in gold muhaqqaq script bearing striking similarities with the frontispiece of the present juz'; for more information on this Qur'an see, David James, After Timur: Qur'ans of the 15th and 16th Centuries (The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Nour Foundation, 1992, cat. 8).

This Juz' is housed in a fine contemporary Safavid binding with ornate covers and exceptionally preserved filligree detailing to the doubleurs. Most comparable to a binding on the Panj Ganj by Jami dated 950 AH (1543 AD), for more information, see Duncan Haldane's Islamic Bookbinding, item 82 (London, 1983).

Single volume, illuminated manuscript on paper, in Arabic, containing the text to the first Juz' of the Qur'an, being Surah Al-Fatihah 1:1 to Surah al-Baqarah 2:141, complete in itself, 23 leaves, 370 x 250 mm; single column, 8 lines fine muhaqqaq calligraphy copied in alternating lines of black and gold, opening two leaves with elaborately decorated borders, opening two surahs copied in gold, text-blocks framed within multiple polychrome rulings, gilt verse markers of intricate hexagonal shapes, important divisions of the text marked with ornaments to the margins, in gold, a fine manuscript; housed in a contemporary fine Safavid binding with flap, outer covers of black leather with gold block stamped central panel, framed within a gold block stamped border, both adorning intricate floral designs, doubleurs of russett leather with central medallions and corner-pieces painted in polychrome with gold filigree detailing, extremities skilfully repaired, hinged strengthened, a very handsome example.