Lot 14
  • 14

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (d.1274 AD), Tahrir kitab usul al-handasah li Uqlidis (an exposition of Euclid’s ‘Elements of Geometry’), Iraq or Western Persia, late 14th/early 15th century

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Black ink on thick paper and marbled binding
Arabic manuscript on thick polished cream paper, 150 leaves plus 2 flyleaves, 27 lines to the page, written in black ink, headings in blue and red, catchwords, 11 later replacement pages, many finely-executed mathematical diagrams in red throughout, later marbled binding

Condition

In good overall condition, later binding, 11 later replacement pages, occasional waterstains, final two folios with paper repairs to leaf edges, pages cropped, 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."

Catalogue Note

According to Mingana, Tusi’s name is nowhere mentioned in the text and the Revision is in fifteen books (maqalah). See A. Mingana, Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, 1934, 543-44, no. 349, and B.A. Rosenfeld – E. Ihsanoglu, Mathematician, astronomers & Other Scholars of Islamic Civilisation and their Works (7th -19th c.), Istanbul, 2003, pp. 211-219, no.606, M1.