1 / 3
Premium MILLON
83
-
Compilation of four treatises on the astronomical sciences
O…
See original version (French)
83
-
Compilation of four treatises on the astronomical sciences
O…
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Compilation of four treatises on the astronomical sciences
Orient (probably Ottoman Empire), copied by 'Abd Allah al-Sa'id, late 18th century.
Arabic manuscript on paper, 51 leaves calligraphed in nasta'liq at 17-21 lines per page, in black and red ink, illustrated with a technical drawing, comprising four treatises:
a) Bahjat al-Albab fi 'Ilm al-Asturlab ("The Joy of the Spirits Concerning the Science of the Astrolabe"), by Söylemez-zade Abdülhalim Efendi, active during the reign of Mustafa II (r. 1695-1703).
b) Hidayat al-sa'il fi'l-rub' al-kamil, on the use of the complete quadrant, by Sibt al-Mardini (d. 1506), an astronomer and mathematician active in Cairo.
c) Risalat al-'amal bi'l-kura dhat al-kursi, on the use of the armillary sphere, attributed to Qusta b. Luqa (d. 912), a Melkite physician, mathematician and astronomer from Syria, one of the great transmitters of Greek knowledge to the Arab-Muslim world, active at the court of the Abbasid caliphs al-Musta'in, al-Mu'tamid and al-Muqtadir.
d) Risala fi takhtit al-mizula ("Treatise on the drawing of the lines of the sundial"), by a certain al-Fawzi (Fevzi).
The colophon mentions the copyist without giving a date.
Condition: pages cut, wormholes.
Size: 20 x 12 cm (7.9 x 4.7 in.)
Bibliography
On Söylemez-zade Abdülhalim Efendi, see Bursali Mehmed Tahir Bey, Osmanli Müellifleri, Istanbul, 1975, p. 292.
This collection illustrates the scholarly culture of the late Ottoman period, when the teaching of practical astronomy - astrolabe, quadrant, armillary sphere, sundial - continued to mobilise a corpus combining the great texts inherited from the medieval Arab world and more recent Ottoman contributions. The Hand of 'Abd Allah al-Sa'id brings together in a single study volume treatises written over almost nine centuries, providing tangible evidence of the continuity of a scientific tradition handed down unbroken until the dawn of the 19th century.
"A Compilation of four Arabic Astronomical treatises copied by Abdallah al-Sa'id, late 18th century.
It contains :
a) Bajhat al-Albab fi 'Ilm al-Asturlab (The Joy of Minds Concerning the Science of the Astrolabe) by Söylemez-zade Abdülhalim Efendi, active under Mustafa II (r. 1695-1703).
b) Hidayat al-sa'il fi'l-rub' al-kamil (on the use of a specialized quadrant) by Sibt al-Mardini (d.1506), an astronomer and mathematician based in Cairo.
c) Risalat al-'amal bi'l-kura dhat al-kursi (on the use of sphere), attributed to Qusta b. Luqa (d. 912), physician, mathematician, astronomer, Melkite Christian from Syria, key figures in the transmission of Greek knowledge from Antiquity to the Arab-Muslim world, active with the caliphs: al-Mustain (r. 862-866)1, al-Mutamid (r. 870-892) and al-Muqtadir (r. 908-932), and with the Armenian king Smbat I (r. 890-914).
d) - Risala fi takhtit al-mizula (Treatise on drawing the lines of a sundial), by a certain al-Fawzi / Fevzi."
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like