Description:

A MINIATURE QURAN SECTION, ILLUMINATED GOLD ON PINK BERYL, POSSIBLY RUBY, 19TH CENTURY, INDIA  OR PERSIA, 19th century

Description:
An extraordinary amulet carved from multiple thin tablets of ruby, hinged together in the form of a miniature book. Each panel is inscribed in fine gold with lines of Arabic calligraphy, possibly including Qur’anic verses or Shiʿa devotional texts. The ruby pages are translucent with a vibrant magenta hue and are bound with decorative silk and metallic-thread tassels for suspension or ceremonial display.

The inscriptions are laid out in neat horizontal registers with striking contrast between the gold and the richly coloured stone. This piece represents a highly refined example of Qajar lapidary art, both technically ambitious and symbolically potent.

Dimensions:
Length x Width: 7 x 5cm

Comparable examples:

  • A multi-page gemstone prayer book, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, London, 25 October 2016, Lot 88, sold for £8,750. 

  • A carved devotional tablet in the form of a book, Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, London, 27 April 2022, Lot 97, sold for £9,375. 

  • A ruby Qur’anic tablet bound as a miniature book, Khalili Collection, published in Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection, 2000.

Provenance:
Private European collection

Note:
This rare object merges the arts of gemstone carving, calligraphy, and bookbinding into a single devotional form. Ruby was associated with spiritual and physical vitality in Islamic thought, and here it becomes the sacred medium for Qur’anic and talismanic text. Its book-like structure would have made it ideal for personal prayer, worn or carried for protection and meditation. Such pieces are extremely rare and represent the height of pious luxury in Qajar craftsmanship.

 

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
£0 £99 £5
£100 £199 £10
£200 £499 £20
£500 £999 £50
£1,000 £1,999 £100
£2,000 £4,999 £200
£5,000 £9,999 £500
£10,000 £19,999 £1,000
£20,000 £49,999 £2,000
£50,000 £99,999 £5,000
£100,000 £199,999 £10,000
£200,000 £499,999 £20,000
£500,000 £999,999 £50,000
£1,000,000 + £100,000