gold and coloured decorations, blue and gold background, white naskh-thuluth text

Ingredients

gold, blue pigment, white pigment, red pigment

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The illumination program uses gold for rosettes placed throughout the text, occurring every seven to eight lines (p. 163). Headings are highly complex, alternating between two schemes: 1) white script outlined in black on a gold vegetal background, and 2) white script outlined in black on a combined blue and gold background (p. 163). Thin gold lines also define the margins (p. 163).

Evidence

"I demonstrate how the word of God (Qurɱan) and the structure of the Arabic text together with the beautiful, red, blue, and gold decorative motives empower this talismanic scroll. (p. 162) ... The illuminated headings alternate between two colour compositions, either a white naskh-thuluth text outlined in black, on a gold, abstracted vegetal background; or a white naskh-thuluth text, outlined in black on a blue and gold background. (p. 163)"

Remarks

The high standard of calligraphy and rich gold decorations suggest a high social class commission (p. 163). The pigments are used to establish 'salient textual and decorative elements' that work to empower the scroll's talismanic efficacy (p. 162).