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: part of a water-clock, with a man seated; verso: text

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Kitab fi ma’arifat al-hiyal al-handisaya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices) “Automata” by al-Jazari; text: Arabic in black naskhi script; recto: Part of a water-clock, with a man seated; verso: text, one column, 15 lines.

Historical period(s)
Mamluk period, 1354 (755 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 39.7 x 27.5 cm (15 5/8 x 10 13/16 in)
Geography
Egypt
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1932.19
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio

Keywords
automata, balcony, Egypt, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517)
Provenance

Fredrik Robert Martin (1868-1933) [1]

To 1932
H. Sevadjian, Paris to 1932 [2]

From 1932
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Sevadjian, Paris in 1932 through K. Minassian [3]

Notes:

[1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also Martin, F.R. The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India and Turkey, London, 1912; vol. I.

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

[3] See note 2.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

H. Sevadjian
Fredrik Robert Martin 1868-1933

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Kitab fi ma'arifat al-hiyal al-handisaya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices) "Automata" by al-Jazari; text: Arabic in black naskhi script; recto: Part of a water-clock, with a man seated; verso: text, one column, 15 lines.

Published References
  • L.A. Mayer. Zum Titelblatt der Automata Miniaturen. vol. 35 Leipzig. cat. 3.
  • Rudolf Meyer Riefstahl. The Date and Provenance of the Automata Miniatures. vol. 11, no. 2 New York, June 1929. .
  • Fredrik Robert Martin. The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India, and Turkey from the 8th to the 18th Century. 2 vols., London. vol. 1: frontispiece.
  • Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. The Treatise of al-Jazari on Automata: Leaves from a Manuscript of the Kitab fi ma' arifat al-hiyal al handasiya in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and elsewhere. Boston. .
  • Eric Schroeder. Persian Miniatures in the Fogg Museum of Art. Cambridge, Massachusetts. cat. 1, pp. 21-27.
  • Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell. Dr. Martin's Treatise on Automata. 2 vols. London, 1924-1925. pp. 33-42.
  • Anna Contadini. The Kitab Manafi 'al Hayawan in the Escorial Library. no. 3. p. 43.
  • Ivan Stchoukine. La Peinture Iranienne sous les Derniers Abbasides et les Ilkhans. Bruges. cat. 28, pp. 99-100.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Art of the Arab World. Exh. cat. Washington, 1975. cat. 52, p. 111.
  • The Book of Ingenious Devices [Kitab al-hiyal]. Dordrecht, Holland and Boston. p. 212, fig. 6.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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