Islamic Manuscript, 'Explanation of the Astrolabe Al-Manadam' by Al-Hakim the Physician Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Iskandarani

1289 A.H. (1872 A.D.)

8 x 10 in. (468 grams, 20.3 x 25.6 cm).

Hardback with quarter-calf binding and cloth-covered boards; title page with naskh script text in a triangular block; text pages typically 18 lines of loose black-ink script inside hand-drawn bilinear frames with red titles and diacritics, ru'qah script headings, text figures, diagrams, numerical and text tables, perpendicular text-blocks; usage wear.

Provenance

From an important family collection started in the late 1950s.
Property of a West London, UK, gentleman.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12276-220409.

Footnotes

Astrolabes were used to make astronomical measurements, specifically to determine the altitudes of celestial bodies, but over time astrologers and travellers devised many different uses for the instrument. They were especially useful to navigators in order to determine position when out of sight of land. This text explains the book 'The Astrolabe' and several ways in which the device could be deployed.

CONDITION

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LOT 0280