Al-Jazari, Elephant Clock,12th Century

Al-Jazari, Elephant Clock,12th Century

"The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari Folio from The Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Badi' al-Zaman ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper. This page comes from a treatise on fantastic devices invented by the author al-Jazari. His elephant clock was especially intricate: every half hour, the bird on the dome whistled; the man below dropped a ball into the dragon’s mouth; and the driver hit the elephant with his goad. While illustrated manuscripts were growing increasingly popular at the time, this folio is a rare survival from Syria, where few such manuscripts are known from this date.

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2657 x 3963 px | 30.1 MB

22.5 x 33.6 cm | 8.9 x 13.2 in (300 dpi)