Mia Sedory - The Blue Qur'an
Title: Blue Qur'an
Date: Second Half of the 9th – Mid-10th Century
Medium: Indigo-dyed parchment with gold and silver writing
Credit Line: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Accession Number: 2004.88
The Blue Qur’an is known for its indigo-colored sheepskin parchment and Kufic gold calligraphy. Tunisia is its approximate region of production. However, scholars disagree as to its exact date and place of production. The production of the codex shows its extravagance: it took over 300 sheep to make the 650 folios while gold ore had to be thinned into leaves before leaves before beginning the laborious procedure of writing with gold leaf. The codex has been divided and sold for large amounts. Frederik Martin, for example, sold several leaves to museums and private collectors fordivided and sold, one example being Frederik Martin who sold the several leaves he had to museums and private collectors for $835,000. This raises the question: is it ethical to separate such an important artifact for profit?