Hausa Qur'anic & Fortune Teller's Board

Dense rows of script above a tidy geometric square, all squeezed onto a paddle-shaped board.

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. Ink for such boards is typically made from soot or plant material mixed with a binder, and the pen is cut from a reed or a similar stem. Tall board with a short handle at the top and a curved notch at the base. Brown ink script fills the upper half, and a framed square with a cross-like pattern sits below. The surface is smooth, pale and gently worn. It is 8.5 inches wide, 0.75 deep and 20 high.

Neat handwriting, neat boxes, and a very practical handle.