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Text Page, Arabic Prose (verso) Text from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Automata) of Inb al-Razza al-Jazari
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineText 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. Ink and opaque watercolor on paper; overall: 31.3 x 21.5 cm (12 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1945.383.b
