ABU 'ABDULLAH JABIR IBN HAYYAN AL-BARIQI, AL-AZDI AL-KUFI, AL-TUSI AL-SUFI (D.C.815 AD), KITAB AL-SAFI MIN AL-KHAMSAMIYAT AND KITAB JANAT AL-KHULD, NEAR EAST OR EGYPT, 15TH CENTURY |

Arabic manuscript on paper, 25 leaves, 23 lines to the page, written in naskh in black ink, important words and chapter headings in red, margins with several annotations, incomplete, in brown stamped leather binding

In good condition, the margins with annotations, stains, smudges and minor holes, 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."

Ibn Hayyan was born and educated in Tus, Iran, and then travelled to Kufa in Iraq. His mentor was purported to be the Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq who taught him everything about alchemy, but this is disputed by some scholars (as is the attribution of nearly three thousand treatises and articles to him). He paved the way for later alchemists including al-Kindi and al-Razi. He was known in the West as 'Geber' and his treatises on alchemy strongly influenced the medieval European alchemists. He was the author of the 'sulphur – mercury theory' of metals, according to which six metals differ by different proportions of sulphur and mercury in the contents. Ibn Hayyan was a prolific author, and several commentaries on astronomy as well as alchemy are recorded under his name, including Kitab al-Sab’in ('the Book of Seventy') which includes seventy treatises on alchemy. This volumes contains two treatises on alchemy, the second one, starting on f.22b is incomplete but its title is recoded in Brockelmann (SI p.428), while the first one is not recorded. For other treatises on alchemy by Ibn Hayyan or attributed to him see Lyons 1966 p.33 and Rosenfeld & Ihsanoglu 2003 p.15, no.9.