Kitab suwar al-kawakib al-thabita (Book of the Images of the Fixed Stars) of al-Sufi
18th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 9 13/16 in. (24.9 cm) W. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm) Thickness: 15/16 in. (2.4 cm) Text Panels: H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm) ; W. 4 in. (10.2 cm) Text panels within rules: H. varies between 17.4 cm and 17.6 cm.
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Richard Ettinghausen, 1975
Accession Number
1975.192.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 18th-century manuscript of *Kitab suwar al-kawakib al-thabita* (Book of the Images of the Fixed Stars) by the renowned 10th-century astronomer `Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi represents a later copy one of the most influential works on celestial science from the Islamic world. Al-Sufi’s original text cataloged over 1,000 stars, refining Ptolemaic observations with precise descriptions and illustrations of constellations. The Metropolitan Museum’s codex preserves this scientific legacy through delicate ink drawings, opaque watercolor figures, and gold accents on paper, bringing the night sky to lif...