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 |

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

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."

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.