Troubled History of a Masterpiece. Notes on the creation and peregrinations of Öljeytü’s monumental Baghdad Qur’ān.

Abstract

The patronage of Īlkhānid rulers and statesmen in the arts is characterized by a quest for monumentality in both architecture and manuscript production. The Qurʾān in particular was commissioned numerous times in unprecedented measurements and several such copies have survived. The fragments of one of them, known as Öljeytü’s Baghdad Qurʾān, have some surprising insights to offer and may serve as a window to illuminate general aspects of the production of these monumental works of art. An investigation into the history and codicology of the surviving fragments gives hints to their fate after they were donated to their patron’s tomb.