An illuminated Quran al-Karim by MEHMED EMIN ALI, al-Sayyid (Ottoman court calligrapher, active c. 1770)

QUR’AN MANUSCRIPT – OTTOMAN COURTLY CALLIGRAPHY
MEHMED EMÎN ʿALÎ, al-Sayyid (Ottoman court calligrapher, active c. 1770)
Qur’an al-Karim
Copied in Istanbul, AH 1184 / 1770–71 CE

An exquisite Ottoman Qur’an, penned by the distinguished court calligrapher al-Sayyid Mehmed Emîn ʿAlî, in its original gilt-stamped binding with fore-edge flap.

Arabic manuscript on polished paper, 296 leaves, 15 lines per page in an elegant, refined thuluth script in black ink. The text opens with a magnificent double-page illumination in lapis, celadon, and gold, setting the tone for a manuscript of great devotional and visual richness. Surah headings appear in white on gold; verse markers and ruling throughout in gold. Division markers for ḥizb and juzʾ heightened with botanical lapis embellishments. Concluding pages illuminated with a brilliant palette of gold, blue, and white vegetal motifs.

Size: 16 × 10 cm. Bound in its original Ottoman leather binding with fore-edge flap (miklep), elaborately gilt with central shamsa and cornerpieces; flap gilt with the title Qur’an. Spine later restored. Some softening of leaves from devotional use; otherwise, an exceptionally well-preserved and visually stunning manuscript.

Mehmed Emîn ʿAlî, son of the Grand Vizier Emin Pasha and student of the great calligrapher Eğrikapılı Mehmed Rasim Efendi, rose to the highest ranks of the Ottoman learned hierarchy, later honored with the title Rumeli Kazaskeri. He was not only a master of sülüs but also an accomplished tuğrakeş, designer of the imperial tughra of Sultan Abdülhamid I.

This manuscript epitomizes the refinement of late Ottoman Qur’anic production: calligraphic mastery, intricate illumination, and aristocratic provenance converge to form a jewel of Islamic devotional art. Manuscripts of this caliber, preserved in their original bindings, are exceptionally rare on the market.