cma-islamic-art: Peacock-shaped Hand Washing Device: Illustration from The Book of Knowledge of Inge
cma-islamic-art: Peacock-shaped Hand Washing Device: Illustration from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (Automata) of Inb al-Razza al-Jazari, 1315, Cleveland Museum of Art: Islamic ArtThe Arabic title of this work is Kitab fi ma'rifat al-hiyal al handasiyya (The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices). According to the description of the device illustrated here, the peacock is filled with water: as it flows into the vessel below, it raises a float that opens a door in the section above, causing the little figure to move forward offering soap; as more water flows, a second door will open and another figure will move forward offering a towel. Finally, the dirty water is drawn off by means of a spigot.Size: Overall: 31.3 x 21.5 cm (12 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.)Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paperhttps://clevelandart.org/art/1945.383.a -- source link
#cmaopenaccess#clevelandartmuseum#museumarchive#islamicart