Peter Kurzmann: Einige Glasgeräte der arabischen Alchemie

From an as yet unpublished collection, kept in the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, of some 20 Islamic glass items, 12 objects with an alchemical background have been selected and studied in detail. The most important items are two alchemical still heads which, according to an alchemical manuscript of al-Kindī, a significant 9^th century Arabian philosopher, natural scientist, mathematician, physician and musician, are identified as still heads for the water-steam distillation of camphor in particular.

Additionally the publication presented here features a medical utensil (probably recent), a measuring jug, a funnel, a mortar, a pestle, a test tube most probably 19^th century and four small bottles - probably for perfume. Most of the objects originate in Iran, but some are from Egypt, Afghanistan and Palestine and date mainly from the 9^th to the 13^th century AD. Some misinterpretations and ambiguities to be found in the literature have been corrected and eliminated.

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