From the 18th century, Kashmir emerged as a major art centre in the Indian subcontinent. A predominantly Muslim region by then, Kashmiri artists produced a wide range of decorative objects, including finely illuminated Qurans, for consumption in the region and beyond. Illuminated Qurans started being produced from the mid-17th century, and peaked in the late 18th and early 19th century. This example is typical of 19th century Kashmiri Quran production, written in Arabic on paper, with 410 folios and 11 fly-leaves. Each folio is written with black naskh on gold and blue lines, on gold-speckled paper. The illumination includes gold roundels between verses, gold illuminated outer margins, divisions of text marked by gold medallions. There are occasional marginal notes in red and black naskh.
