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Document Details :

Title: Cataloguing Medieval Islamic Astronomical Instruments
Author(s): KING, D.A.
Journal: Bibliotheca Orientalis
Volume: 57    Issue: 3-4   Date: mei - augustus 2000   
Pages: 247-258
DOI: 10.2143/BIOR.57.3.2015769

Abstract :
These two beautifully-illustrated volumes are the latest in a series of over two dozen catalogues already published which document the largest private collection of Islamic artefacts in the world. They are another tribute to the good taste and academic generosity of the owner, Dr. David Khalili. They are proof, if any were needed, of his recognition of the importance of objects in their own right, and they constitute a contribution to Realienkunde, “the study of material objects”, in both Islamic Studies and the History of Science, two disciplines overburdened by the preoccupation of scholars with the written word. Many of the objects featured in this catalogue are works of considerable and occasionally exceptional beauty, be they illuminated manuscript or scientific works of art.


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