DavidsSamlingGennem24År

1/1984 Fragment of casket Persia 1200-1201

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

Bronze inlaid with copper and silver H:4.4, W:23.5, depth in all: 18.5

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

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.

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 .

54