Wooden boards with Quranic verses on display at global auction in London

Sotheby’s, as part of the “Islamic and Indian World Arts” auction held in the British capital, London, dedicated to selling many Islamic manuscripts and rare documents, displayed a wooden board with verses from the Holy Quran dating back to Sub-Saharan Africa, possibly Nigeria, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is estimated to be worth between £6,000 and £8,000.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Quran boards like this set were used as teaching tools for students to learn to read and write in Arabic, and thus read the Quranic text and memorize it. A similar Quranic board is found in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

An early manuscript of the Arabic Royal Gospels was also displayed, which is of Egyptian or Syrian origin, dating back to between the late 12th and early 13th centuries AD. It is estimated to be worth between £80,000 and £120,000.

The manuscript includes a simple band of decoration in red and dark brown on page 138 to indicate a new section, and two other red bands on pages 112 and 123. The manuscript also features a simple decorative style, which suggests a unified style in all royal manuscripts.