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Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa, ('Epistles of the Brethren of Purity'), Book I, on the mathematical sciences, copied by Yadullah-bakhsh (?) ibn Mulla 'Abd al-Qadir, North India, Mughal, late 17th/18th century
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- ink on paper
- 23.2 by 14.6cm.
Arabic manuscript on paper, 275 leaves plus 2 fly-leaves, 17 lines to the page written in fine black naskh, several tables in red and black ink, titles and important words in red, bismillah finely written in black thuluth, brown morocco binding with central stamped medallion, with flap
Condition
In good condition, the paper with worm holes and restored, but overall in good condition, the margins overall clean with minor annotations, several ownership seals at the beginning and end, the binding restored, 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
The Ikhwan al-Safa was a medieval sacred brotherhood thought to have been affiliated with the Isma’ili movement, active mainly in Mesopotamia in the tenth and eleventh century. Although the Ikhwan remained an anonymous group of scholars, Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi (d.1023 AD) is thought to have identified three members, all of whom were from Basra: Abu'l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Harun al-Zanjani and three of his companions, Abu Sulayman Muhammad ibn Ma‘shar al-Busti (called al-Maqdisi), Abu Ahmad al-Nahrajuri and al-‘Awfi. The Rasa’il Ilkhwan al-Safa presents itself as an encyclopaedia of science and philosophy, and is divided into four books, each dedicated to a specific science and each chapter (risala) deals with a particular topic.
The four books of the Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa are as follows:
Book I: the mathematical sciences
Book II: the natural science
Book III: the rational sciences
Book IV: the theological sciences
This volume is the first book and contains fourteen rasa’il dealing with geometry and astronomy (risala II and III), music (risala IV), ethics and self-discipline (risala VI, IX, X and XII) and logic (risala XI, XIII and XIV).
The present copy is particularly interesting as it was probably made in India in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Several seals and ownership inscriptions attest to its presence is the library of a minister (vaziray) with two different seal impressions of a librarian with the name Hasan Zaki al-Din, dated 1281AH/1864-65 AD and 1283 AH/1866-67 AD, and a further one belonging to his son Yahya, dated 1312 AH/1894-95 AD.
Only a small number of early copies of the Rasa'il al-Safa survived, among them the famous copy in the 'Atif Pasha Library, Istanbul (1681), dated 587 AH/1182 AD; a copy formerly in the British Museum, now in the British Library (Or 6692), dated 646 AH/1248-49 AD, and a copy in the Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli, Tehran (4707), dated 686 AH/1287 AD. Two early copies were sold in these rooms, one dated 711 AH/1311 AD, 9 April 2008, lot 28, and another circa fourteenth century, 20 April 2016, lot 35. A Safavid copy sold at Christie’s, London, 1 May 2001, lot 56, and another is now housed in the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London (MS 1040).
The four books of the Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa are as follows:
Book I: the mathematical sciences
Book II: the natural science
Book III: the rational sciences
Book IV: the theological sciences
This volume is the first book and contains fourteen rasa’il dealing with geometry and astronomy (risala II and III), music (risala IV), ethics and self-discipline (risala VI, IX, X and XII) and logic (risala XI, XIII and XIV).
The present copy is particularly interesting as it was probably made in India in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Several seals and ownership inscriptions attest to its presence is the library of a minister (vaziray) with two different seal impressions of a librarian with the name Hasan Zaki al-Din, dated 1281AH/1864-65 AD and 1283 AH/1866-67 AD, and a further one belonging to his son Yahya, dated 1312 AH/1894-95 AD.
Only a small number of early copies of the Rasa'il al-Safa survived, among them the famous copy in the 'Atif Pasha Library, Istanbul (1681), dated 587 AH/1182 AD; a copy formerly in the British Museum, now in the British Library (Or 6692), dated 646 AH/1248-49 AD, and a copy in the Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli, Tehran (4707), dated 686 AH/1287 AD. Two early copies were sold in these rooms, one dated 711 AH/1311 AD, 9 April 2008, lot 28, and another circa fourteenth century, 20 April 2016, lot 35. A Safavid copy sold at Christie’s, London, 1 May 2001, lot 56, and another is now housed in the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London (MS 1040).