Safavid Qur’an signed by Ali Reza Abbasi
This magnificent royal Quran is transcribed by Ali Reza Abbasi, (born in Tabriz, died 1628) one of the most famous calligraphers of the Safavid period, under Shah Abbas (1558-1628). He was a master in naskh and its more bold versions, thuluth and rayhan. Ali Reza moved to Qazvin in AH 993/1585 CE and became a favourite calligrapher of Shah Abbas, moving to Isfahan with Shah Abbas when he moved the capital to Isfahan. Shah Abbas gave him the title of Shahnavaz Khan.This is when he changed his earlier epithet, from Tabrizi to the ‘nisba’ of Abbasi, paying homage to Shah Abbas.
Ali Reza al-Abbasi is responsible for the inscriptions on several royal monuments in Isfahan commissioned by Shah Abbas, such as the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque AH 1012/AD 1603-4, the portal of the Royal Masjed e Shah in 1025/AD 1617, and in Mashad the shrine of Imam Reza AH 1024/1615-6 CE and the tomb of Khajeh Rabi in AH 1026/1617-8 CE. He is famous for his clear, well proportioned style of calligraphy.
The Quran begins with two beautifully illuminated double frontispieces. It has 409 folios with eleven lines on each page divided in three parts with the first, middle and last line of each page written in bold beautiful Rayhan on cream coloured highly burnished polished paper in black ink. Each panel is separated by gold margins between black rules. The marginal medallions are illuminated in gold and blue with Sura headings in white on illuminated panels of orange, green and blue and gold. The original contemporary binding is delicately stamped and gilt in gold.