The zodiac man. Watercolour painting by a Persian artist.

Title	The zodiac man. Watercolour painting by a Persian artist.
Publication Date:	1800
Subject	Alexandrian series.
Type	Book
Language	Persian
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	2 cm
Library:	Wellcome Collection museum and library
Record ID	pypg2fmj
Library Location	Wellcome Collection 582971i
Date	1800
Notes	Diagram comparable to the "six picture series" or "Alexandrian series" pasted or bound in Persian manuscripts of the "Zakhīrah-i Khvārazm’Shāhī" ("Treasure of Khvārazm’Shāhī") written by al-Jurjani (Ismā‘īl ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥusayn Jurjānī) ca. 1110 AD, and the "Tashrīḥ-i Mansur-i" ("Anatomy of Mansur" written by Manṣūr ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf Ibn Ilyā, ca. 1390 AD As the scholar Karl Sudhoff wrote in 1924, "Astrological theory in the Middle Ages occupied somewhat the same position that Evolution does in modern times". It intertwined with so many working hypotheses that scheduling of everyday activities such as house-building, marriage and medication would become purely arbitrary without the control provided by planetary movements. The present watercolour is a diverting translation of the zodiacal rules into pictorial form. It shows which signs are related to which parts of the body: Ares (March) to the head, Taurus (April) to the neck, Gemini (May) to the arms and hands, Cancer (June) to the thorax, etc. In those months, one was ill-advised to apply medicines to the associated organs, though there might be countervailing arguments strong enough to overrule the implications of the zodiac. In addition to their associations with given months and organs, the zodiacal signs also had "qualities" which were also relevant: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn had the qualities combining the hot and the dry, while Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces had the qualities combining the cold and the wet. Subtle minds would consider all the implications and associations of the zodiacal signs, while the unsubtle would use them as rules of thumb and follow them uncritically. It is notable that the sign Gemini is shown as conjoined ("Siamese") twins \| Persian annotations on the image
Sergileri notu	Exhibited in “Wonders of Creation” at the San Diego Museum of Art, September 7 2024 – January 5, 2025 Exhibited in “Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian medicine” at Wellcome Collection, 16 November 2017 – 8 April 2018

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Wellcome Collection museum and library

The zodiac man. Watercolour painting by a Persian artist.

Publication Date 1800

Subject Alexandrian series.

Type Book

Language Persian

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions 2 cm

Library Wellcome Collection museum and library

Record ID pypg2fmj

Library Location Wellcome Collection 582971i

Date 1800

Notes Diagram comparable to the "six picture series" or "Alexandrian series" pasted or bound in Persian manuscripts of the "Zakhīrah-i Khvārazm’Shāhī" ("Treasure of Khvārazm’Shāhī") written by al-Jurjani (Ismā‘īl ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥusayn Jurjānī) ca. 1110 AD, and the "Tashrīḥ-i Mansur-i" ("Anatomy of Mansur" written by Manṣūr ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf Ibn Ilyā, ca. 1390 AD As the scholar Karl Sudhoff wrote in 1924, "Astrological theory in the Middle Ages occupied somewhat the same position that Evolution does in modern times". It intertwined with so many working hypotheses that scheduling of everyday activities such as house-building, marriage and medication would become purely arbitrary without the control provided by planetary movements. The present watercolour is a diverting translation of the zodiacal rules into pictorial form. It shows which signs are related to which parts of the body: Ares (March) to the head, Taurus (April) to the neck, Gemini (May) to the arms and hands, Cancer (June) to the thorax, etc. In those months, one was ill-advised to apply medicines to the associated organs, though there might be countervailing arguments strong enough to overrule the implications of the zodiac. In addition to their associations with given months and organs, the zodiacal signs also had "qualities" which were also relevant: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn had the qualities combining the hot and the dry, while Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces had the qualities combining the cold and the wet. Subtle minds would consider all the implications and associations of the zodiacal signs, while the unsubtle would use them as rules of thumb and follow them uncritically. It is notable that the sign Gemini is shown as conjoined ("Siamese") twins | Persian annotations on the image

Sergileri notu Exhibited in “Wonders of Creation” at the San Diego Museum of Art, September 7 2024 – January 5, 2025 Exhibited in “Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian medicine” at Wellcome Collection, 16 November 2017 – 8 April 2018