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Mahmud ibn Massud Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (d.1311), Kulliyat al-Qanun, a commentary on the first volume of Al-Qanun of Ibn Sina, book II, Egypt, Mamluk, dated 739 AH/1338-39 AD
Estimate
18,000 - 25,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- ink on paper - bound manuscript
- 23.2 by 16.2cm.
Arabic manuscript on paper, 185 leaves, 27 lines to the page, written in naskh script in black ink, important words and sentences in red, f.101a with half-page coloured diagram of the River Nile from its source, f.1b a later replacement, in later brown leather binding
Condition
In good condition, the margins overall clean with minor annotation, minor stains and holes, the first page a later replacement and the last leaf with the colophon has been waxed, some rubbing, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Brockelmann records the title as Al-tuhfa al-sa’diya sharh kulliyat al-Qanun by Mahmud ibn Massud Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (GAL II, p.274). The first page of this manuscript is a later replacement and it is likely that the title has been shortened to Kulliyat al-Qanun. This early copy, written fewer than three decades after the death of the author, is a commentary on the Qanun of Ibn Sina. As recorded by Emily Savage-Smith, Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi composed several versions of the commentary on the Qanun, with different titles, the one in Brockelmann identified as the final one (Savage-Smith 2011, p.258). The Bodleian Library also houses a manuscript with an autograph inscription of Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (inv.no.MS. Huntington 263).
Images of the Nile in commentaries of the Qanun by Ibn Sina are unusual but not unheard of. A drawing of the river is on f.115b of the Sharh kulliyat al-Qanun by Ibn al-Nafis, now in the Bodleian Library (inv.no.MS Huntington 102, Savage-Smith 2011, pl.XXVI), whilst another illustration very similar to the present can be found in a commentary by Ibn al-Nafis attributed to Mamluk Egypt, sold in these rooms, 7 October 2015, lot 208.
Images of the Nile in commentaries of the Qanun by Ibn Sina are unusual but not unheard of. A drawing of the river is on f.115b of the Sharh kulliyat al-Qanun by Ibn al-Nafis, now in the Bodleian Library (inv.no.MS Huntington 102, Savage-Smith 2011, pl.XXVI), whilst another illustration very similar to the present can be found in a commentary by Ibn al-Nafis attributed to Mamluk Egypt, sold in these rooms, 7 October 2015, lot 208.