Hausa Qur'anic & Fortune Teller's Board

Narrow board with a tall handle and lines of faded script running its full length.

This Qur'anic and fortune teller's board is Hausa, from West Africa, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is wood & ink. In parts of West Africa, Islamic scholars also practice forms of divination, and a board with writing or markings may be used to record verses or diagrams. Slender board with a tall peg-like handle and a curved notched base. Fine brownish ink script fills the face in rows that darken and lighten across the surface. The edges are slightly worn and the tone is pale, dry and soft. It is 9.5 inches wide, 0.75 deep and 22.5 high.

Light-handed script on a tall, slim shoulder.