Ref. 115997 // Mod. M28717 // Year 2018 // Limited Edition 65
“ Width of life is more important than length of life ”
“ Medicine is a science by which we learn about the conditions of the human body in health and in the absence of health, in order to mantain health or restore it ”
“ I devoted myself to studying texts and the gates of knowledge began opening for me “
An homage to the Persian polymath: Avicenna. A philosopher, A physician, A writer, regarded as one of the most significant of the Islamic Golden Age
Avicenna the polymath
Avicenna (original name Ibn Sînâ), born near Bukhara in 980, was one of the most prominent philosophers, scientists, physicians, matematicians, and astronomers of the Islamic golden Age. He is described as the forefather of modern medicine. Born from a Persian family, he soon emerged for his peculiar and early brillance: by the age of ten he had memorized the entire Quran. Although his Persian origins, he wrote the majority of his two hundred and fifty works in Arabic, which was the scientific and philosophical language at the time. Among his masterpieces we find “The Book of Healing”, an encyclopaedia about philosophy and science, and “The Canon of Medicine”, an impressive medical essay. He became interested and started studying medicine at the age of 16 and also spontaneously practiced his knowledge and treatments by helping sick people. When sultan of Bukhara felt ill he was called to his bedside and, as reward for curing him, he was given the permission to consult the royal Sâmânîd library, a treasure of science and philosophy. To honour this great polymath, Montblanc has created the Montblanc Hommage to Avicenna Limited Edition 65.
The Canon of Medicine
In the five books of “The Canon of Medicine” Avicenna, influenced by the Greek physician Galen, summarises the complete medical knowledge of his time founding the theoretical basis of medical science. He defined the place of medicine in the hierarchy of sciences by postulating that medicine seeks to understand the causes of health and disease. “The Canon of Medicine” was translated in Latin and remained one of the standard medical textbooks in Europe and in the Islamic world for centuries. The pattern on the Au 750 solid gold cap set with turquoise stones is inspired by the fine ornamentation of early medieval manuscripts of “The Canon of Medicine”. The colour of the luminous orange lacquer corresponds to the garment worn by Avicenna in one of his most famous portraits. The clip is set with a green facetted tourmaline, while the cap top is crowned with the Montblanc emblem in mother of pearl.
The Book of Healing
Avicenna brought also important innovations to Islamic philosopy focusing his studies on logic, ethics and metaphysics. In his Book of Healing, he inquired the questiong of being by following Aristotele’s considerations and finally distingued theology by metaphysics. He had a systematic treatment of all the sciences and was the first able to assign a defined function to each one of them, providing a sound and coherent epistemological framework for teachers of the medieval curriculum. The Au gold handcrafted nib of this Limited Edition bears an engraving inspired by one of the most precise depictions of the human anatomy, published in “The Canon of Medicine”.
A pioneer in the world of science
He also gave contributions to mathematics, physics, astronomy, music and other fields. He discussed the philosophy of science, describing a new scientific methodology according to which conceptualisation and verification are essential. In the field of dynamics, Avicenna developed the key concept of inclination. Though he did not accept the existence of void, he put forward the hypothesis that if the void were to exist, then a thrown projectile would keep its trajectory without stopping or deviating. This theory has been characterised by scholars as an anticipationof the modern concept of inertia. In optics, Avicenna rejected the extramission theory of vision built from the mathematical models of Euclid and Ptolemy. This criticism led to a new conception of the nature of light and rays. For Avicenna, vision occurs in the medium that separates the eye from the visible object. The object must be able to affect the medium separating it from the eye. This medium must be transparent and the perceptive faculty in the eye must sense this change. This doctrine combining a theory of vision with a theory of light is the precursor to modern optical theories. In one of his treatises Avicenna described a more effective instrument for astronomical observations. The new sighting system of this instrument was much more precise than the existing ones, allowing the reading of degrees and minutes. Avicenna’s observations on the medicinal effects of mother-of-pearl were the source of inspiration for the extraordinary material of the Limited Edition’s barrel: shimmering, black mother-of-pearl from the Tahiti shell.
An icon in the Middle East and Central Asia
In the Middle East, Avicenna’s heritage is highly valued. As a philosopher he elaborated a new philosophical synthesis, which fostered the renewal of philosophy in Iran in the seventeenth century. This legacy is still studied today in traditional centres of knowledge. As a man of science, he remains an icon for the rigour and systematic nature of his thought. In tribute to this universal genius, a mausoleum was erected in his memory in Hamadan, where he was buried. The first mausoleum, destroyed in 1950, was replaced by a modern monument designed by Hooshang Seyhoun in 1952. It includes a library, a small museum and a spindle-shaped tower. The tower is inspired by the medieval Gonbad-e Qabus tower, an impressive monument built in 1006 near the ancient city of Gorgan, where Avicenna spent some years of his life. The shape of the cone of the Montblanc Homage to Avicenna Limited Edition is inspired by the striking tower of the Avicenna Mausoleum. The end of the cone is crowned with a Persian turquoise, a stone discovered thousands of years ago in Persia, and which is considered to have spiritual powers.
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