Folio from Kitab fi ma`arifat al-hiyal al-handisaya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices) Automata by al-Jazari (d.1206); recto: illustration: The basin of the two scribes; verso: text

Detached folio from a copy of the Kitab fi ma’arifat al-hiyal al-handasiya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices, known as “Automata”) by al-Jazari; text: Arabic in black naskh script; recto: Basin of the two scribes, an instrument for use in blood-letting, 21 lines; verso: text, one column, 21 lines; one of a group of 8 folios.

Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Farruq ibn Abd al-Latif
Author: al-Jazari
Historical period(s)
Mamluk period, December 1315 (Ramadan 715 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 30.8 x 19.7 cm (12 1/8 x 7 3/4 in)
Geography
probably Syria
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1930.76
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
automata, blood-letting, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), naskh script, Syria
Provenance

To 1930
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York to 1930 [1]

From 1930
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York in 1930 [2]

Notes:

[1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hagop Kevorkian 1872-1962

Description

Detached folio from a copy of the Kitab fi ma'arifat al-hiyal al-handasiya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices, known as "Automata") by al-Jazari; text: Arabic in black naskh script; recto: Basin of the two scribes, an instrument for use in blood-letting, 21 lines; verso: text, one column, 21 lines; one of a group of 8 folios.

Label

One of the earliest and most fascinating illustrated manuscripts from the Arab world is the so-called Automata by al-Jaziri. The text is devoted to the construction of fifty mechanical devices, including different types of clocks, fountains, and containers for liquids. While the compositions are primarily intended to illustrate the mechanisms of these ingenious instruments, their vibrant colors and fine surface details enhance the pictorial interest of these early scientific manuscripts. The first chapter of the Automata discusses complicated hydraulic clocks and their various components. One such clock is adorned with a copper disc decorated with the signs of the zodiac. Each one encircles the sun and moon along its own orbit. At certain times of the day, the disc revolves and musicians play to announce the new hour.


The Basin of the Scribes belongs to the chapter on pitchers, basins, and other vessels containing or measuring liquids. The device is intended to specify the exact amount of blood taken from a patient. According to al-Jaziri, two scribes are placed on a platform supported by columns. The pens of the scribes move according to the amount of blood gathered in the basin below.

Published References
  • Anna Contadini. The Kitab Manafi 'al Hayawan in the Escorial Library. no. 3. p. 43.
  • W. Aubrey Cartwright. Guide to Art Museums in the United States: East Coast, Washington to Miami., 1st ed. New York. p. 45, r.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Art of the Arab World. Exh. cat. Washington, 1975. cat. 50, p. 109.
  • The Book of Ingenious Devices [Kitab al-hiyal]. Dordrecht, Holland and Boston. p. 228, pl. 22.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks. Exh. cat. Washington. pp. 255-56, fig. 2.
  • Albert S. Lyons, R. Joseph Petrucelli II. Medicine: An Ilustrated History. New York. p. 303.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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