57 / 76
1 /1 9 8 4 F r a g m e n t a f s k r in
P e rs ie n 1 2 0 0 -1 2 0 1
B r o n z e in d la g t m e d k o b b e r o g sø lv
H :4 ,4 , B :2 3 ,5 , S a m le t d y b d e :1 8 ,5
M e n s d e e k s a k te v id e n s k a b e r fris te d e e n n o g e t
k u m m e r lig tilv æ re ls e i m id d e la ld e r e n s v e s tlig e
E u r o p a , så triv e d e s d isse i Isla m s la n d e .
S æ rlig a s tr o n o m ie n sa tte s h ø jt, o g d e t e r da
o g s å e n a s tro la b m a g e r , d e r h a r k o n s tr u e r e t d e t
s k r in m e d k o m b in a tio n s lå s , s o m m u s e e t f o r n y lig
h a r e r h v e r v e t - d e s v æ rre s o m e t f r a g m e n t. P å lå
g e t k a n m a n læ se: » E t a rb e jd e a f M u h a m m a d b.
H a m id al a s tu r la b i al Isfa h a n i i å re t 59 7 « , h v ilk e t
s v a r e r til 1 2 0 0 -1 2 0 1 e fte r v o r tid s r e g n in g . M u
h a m m a d k o m fra e n v e lk e n d t in s tr u m e n tm a g e r f a
m ilie , o g fra h a n s h å n d k e n d e r v i i d a g fire a s tr o la -
b e r lig e s o m d e t e r s a n d s y n lig t, a t h a n h a r k o n s tr u
e re t d e t s k rin d e r b e fin d e r sig p å M u s e u m o f F in e
A r ts i B o s to n ; d e t lig n e r v o r t m e g e t o g e r d a te r e t
1197.
F r a g m e n te t, s o m h a r u d g jo r t s k rin e ts lå g , v a r
v e d d e n b a g e s te p la d e fæ s tn e t til s k rin e ts ø v r ig e
d e l, m e n s p la d e n m e d k o m b in a tio n s lå s e n v a r til at
å b n e . E n n æ r m e r e b e s k riv e ls e a f lå se n s f u n k tio n
sk a l ik k e g iv e s h e r, m e n n æ v n e s sk a l d e t, a t d e 2 X
4 s k iv e r m e d 16 m u lig e in d s tillin g e r h v e r g iv e r
m u lig h e d f o r ik k e m in d r e e n d 4 .2 9 4 .9 6 7 ,2 9 6
k o m b in a tio n e r , s o m k u n n e fo ra n d re s , h v is k o d e n
s k u lle b liv e a fs lø re t. K o m b in a tio n s lå s e n s v a re r i
n æ s te n alle d e ta lje r til d e n , d e r e r b e s k r e v e t i a l-
J a z a r i’s b e r ø m te m a n u s k r ip t: » K o m p e n d iu m o m
d e m e k a n is k e k u n s te r s te o r i o g p ra k sis« s o m b le v
s k r e v e t o m k r in g å r
1200
; b lo t h a r a l-J a z a ri’s e n d n u
fle re k o m b in a tio n s m u lig h e d e r .
1/1984 Fragment of casket
Persia 1200-1201
Bronze inlaid with copper and silver
H:4.4, W:23.5, depth in all: 18.5
Whereas the development of the exact sciences in Europe
during the Middle Ages was somewhat sluggish, it was
much livelier in the Islamic countries.
Astronomy in particular was highly esteemed, and it
was also an astrolabe-maker that constructed the casket
with a combination lock recently acquired by the Mu
seum - unfortunately as a fragment. The lid bears an
inscription reading: “A work of Muhammad b. Hamid
al asturlabi al Isfahani in the year 597”, which corres
ponds to 1200-1201 by our calendar. Muhammad came
from a well-known family of instrument makers, and
we know today offour astrolabes from the hands of this
master; it is moreover likely that he constructed the cas
ket now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which
is very similar to ours and is dated 1197.
The fragment, whichformed the lid of the casket, was
fastened to the upper part of the casket by the rearmost
plate, while the plate carrying the combination lock
could be opened. A closer description of the function of
the lock will not be attempted here, but it must be men
tioned that the two sets offour dials, each with sixteen
possible adjustments, gave the possibility of no fewer
than 4,294,967.296 combinations that could be changed
if the code should be revealed. The combination lock
corresponds in nearly all details to that described in al-
Jazari’s famous manuscript
A C o m p e n d iu m o n th e
T h e o r y a n d P ra c tic e o f th e M e c h a n ic a l A r ts
which
was written around the year 1200; al-Jazari’s merely
has even more combination possibilities.
54