Skip to Main Content

Text Page, Arabic Prose (verso) Text from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Automata) of Inb al-Razza al-Jazari

1315
ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Overall: 31.3 x 21.5 cm (12 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1945.383.b
Location: not on view
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Description

The Arabic title of this work is Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al handasiyya (The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices). According to the description of the device illustrated on the other side of this page, the peacock is filled with water: as it flows into the vessel below, it raises a float that opens a door in the section above, causing the little figure to move forward offering soap; as more water flows, a second door will open and another figure will move forward offering a towel. Finally, the dirty water is drawn off by means of a spigot.
Text Page, Arabic Prose (verso) Text from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Automata) of Inb al-Razza al-Jazari

Text Page, Arabic Prose (verso) Text from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Automata) of Inb al-Razza al-Jazari

1315

Syria, Damascus, Mamluk Period, 14th Century

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.