English: ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Husayni al-Jurjani, known as Al-Sayyid al-Sharif (d.1413), Sharh tadkira (a commentary on al-Tusi's Kitab al-tadhkira, on astronomy), Persia, Timurid, dated 813 AH/1410 AD

Ink on paper - bound manuscript 21.8 by 14.4cm.

Arabic manuscript on paper, 156 leaves, 25 lines to the page written in naskh script in black ink, many sentences underlined in red, catchwords, marginal annotations, many mathematical and geometric diagrams in red and black throughout, in brown stamped morocco binding with flap

‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Husayni al-Jurjani was born in Taku, near Astrabad, in the Golestan province in 1339-40 AD and soon left his home city for Herat to study with Qutb al-Din Muhammad al-Razi (d.1365); he later moved to Cairo to follow al-Razi’s student Mubarakshah, also known as 'the logician' (al-mantiqi). In 1375 he moved firstly to Constantinople and later to Shiraz, where he worked under the patronage of the Muzaffarid ruler Shah Shuja (r.1353-84).

With Shiraz’s surrender to Timur’s army in 1387 he followed him to his court in Samarqand until 1405. With the death of Timur he then returned to Shiraz where he died in 1413. Al-Jurjani was a crucial figure in the history of astronomy as he compiled numerous treaties and commentaries on previous scientific works written by al-Tusi, al-Iji (d.1355) and al-Razi. Another early copy of the present work sold in these rooms, 30 April 1992, lot 352, dated 844 and 845 AH/1440-41 AD.

To the best of our knowledge, the present manuscript is the earliest known copy of this work, dated 813 AH/1410 AD, produced during the lifetime of the author who died in 1413.