Dr Francesca Leoni · 16 July 2026, 5–6:30 pm BST
Abstract
The 9th-century astrologer Abu Maʿshar al-Balkhi (d. 886) is amongst the most influential intellectuals of the Islamic world. His followers are not only found across the Middle East – the likes of Al-Qabisi (d. c. 967), al-Biruni (d. 1048) alongside later Persian court astrologers – but as far as medieval and Renaissance Europe – with scholars like Albert the Great, Roger Bacon and Pico della Mirandola relying on translations of his writings to further their own scientific and philosophical endeavours. An exceptional synthesis of Pahlavi, Sanskrit and Syriac philosophical, astronomical and theurgical traditions, Abu Maʿshar’s arguments also built on Aristotelian and Neoplatonic emanationist theories as expounded in contemporaneous Harranian Sabean writings. As such, they proved essential for the development of Islamic notions of astral magic and talismanic theurgy. This paper explores some of these ideas and their reach through the lens of two late 14th-century fragments of Abu Maʿshar’s Kitab al-mawalid (‘Book of Nativities’) linked to the patronage of Sultan Ahmad Jalayir (r. 1382-1410). As these represent the earliest illustrated versions of the text, particular attention will be given to their pictorial programmes and the ways in which images articulate and communicate knowledge. This presentation will also reflect on the inclusion of both fragments in miscellaneous compilations (majmuʿa) and draw parallels with the princely compendia of occultist knowledge that emerged in early Timurid Iran in order to reflect on the growing importance accorded to the occult sciences in Mongol royal circles.
About the speaker
Dr Francesca Leoni is Assistant Keeper and Curator of Islamic Art at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. She is also a faculty member in the History Faculty and a research associate at the Khalili Research Centre. After completing her PhD in Islamic art and archaeology at Princeton University, she held positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rice University, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Her focus is on Persianate book arts, Islamic divination, kilims, and Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art. She has published widely and curated numerous exhibitions. Her recent publications include Aegean Treasures: Greek Island Embroideries from the Ashmolean Museum (2021) and the exhibition catalogue In Bloom: How Plants Changed Our World (2026).