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Lot Essay
This manuscript is an early copy of the Fusus al-Hikam of Ibn ‘Arabi. Ibn 'Arabi considered this his most important work, and was himself regarded as one of the most significant Sufi intellectuals of the medieval period. The subject is Islamic mysticism and was originally conceived in AH 627/1230 AD in Damascus, following a vision by the Prophet Muhammad. The text is described as both an esoteric exegesis of the Qur’an and an exploration of the inner meaning of man’s existence. Our copy is a good scholar’s copy rather than a commercial one, made in a very idiosyncratic but beautiful hand. There are numerous marginal annotations, some of them in the hand of the scribe and some in another hand. The manuscript is bound in a fine Mamluk binding which is contemporaneous with the work.
Our manuscript was formerly in the collection of Count Henri and Francois Chandon de Briailles. Better known for their collection of 15th century European manuscripts of the Book of the Hours which they formed between 1920 and 1950, they also had a small collection of Arabic, Turkish and Persian manuscripts. These were dispersed in Paris in 2003.
Our manuscript was formerly in the collection of Count Henri and Francois Chandon de Briailles. Better known for their collection of 15th century European manuscripts of the Book of the Hours which they formed between 1920 and 1950, they also had a small collection of Arabic, Turkish and Persian manuscripts. These were dispersed in Paris in 2003.