ISLAMIC ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS SERIES

In the images below, details of two types of cloudbands have been set side by side for comparison. The space between the bands can be filled in with gold, or flowers, or crosshatching–whatever the illuminator decides. The catchword is the word on the outside (to the left) of the double red border rules.Ĭloudbands: A type of decoration in which each line of text is surrounded by contour bands which follow the rise and fall of the letters. Below is a detail of a catchword from UPenn Libraries Ms. Catchwords are used for initial collation (putting the pages in the correct order) and then are useful for determining if pages are missing and for re-ordering pages if a manuscripts has been disordered. Frame rules are not as common as border rules.Ĭatchword: A word at the bottom left of the verso (back) of a folio indicating what will be the first word on the following (i.e.

Distinct from border rules, a frame rule encloses the entire page-opening and is normally a single black or dark blue line. Codex 1896 (double red lines) and the right image is from Penn Museum NEP33 (upwards of 9 lines in various colors). In the image below, the left border rule is a detail from UPenn Libraries Ms.

ISLAMIC ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS SERIES

Often a single red line, but sometimes the rules can be a series of multiple colors, often including gold, in varying widths. This image is from the inside cover of Penn Museum NEP80 The block-stamped portion is in the middle of the image.īorder rules: Also called ‘rulings’ these lines surround the textblock (the written area) on the page. When a word is linked, the link leads to the Islamic Manuscript Conservation Terminology Site, where you can find images and explanations of a wide variety of Islamic bookbinding terminology.īlock-stamped: A way of decorating the inside cover, usually the doublure, using an engraved block which makes the stamped leather darker and the remaining unstamped leather lighter. On this page are photos of specific things that may be of use to orient you as you begin to work with Islamic manuscripts.

Islamic illuminated manuscripts