IRAN, 18TH OR 19TH CENTURY

This medical manuscript was originally written in the 14th century for 'Umar Shaykh, the ruler of Fars and grandson of Timur. It is divided into chapters which discuss the bones, nervous system, muscles, veins, arteries, organs, and the development of the embryo. According to Barbara Schmitz, the earliest known dated copies are from the 1670s and 80s. The calligraphy, illumination and drawings of ours however, as well as the paper, suggest a 15th century date, making it one of the earliest examples known (Schmitz, 1992, pp.134-35). The present copy was produced later but includes five full-page anatomical illustrations showing various systems of the body and their function. A very similar copy is in the Aga Khan Museum (inv. AKM525). A copy of the same work, from Timurid Iran, was sold in these Rooms, 24 October 2019, lot 35.