Astrolabe by the Workshop of Jean Fusoris
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1400
This astrolabe, attributed to the workshop of Jean Fusoris, is a brass instrument measuring 100 mm in diameter. It comprises a mater, a rete, an alidade, a rule, and five plates.
The mater is constructed from two soldered brass plates, forming the limb and shackle, with the limb face graduated 0 to 360 degrees. The rete features 21 star pointers of the wavy flame type, each identified with Gothic lettering. The instrument includes an alidade with a central sighting hole and an unequal scale. Each of the five plates is engraved with varied geographic and astronomical data, including almucantars, azimuth lines, and unequal hour lines.
The back of the mater displays a 90-degree quadrant, a zodiac scale, a calendar scale, and a double shadow square. The instrument is held in the collection of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Date
- circa 1400
- Type
- French astrolabe
- Maker
- Workshop of Jean Fusoris
- Origin
- French
- Diameter
- 100 mm
- Star pointers
- 21
- Place recorded
- France
- Maker / attribution
- Workshop of Jean Fusoris
Design
- Visible features
- • Rete features 21 star pointers of the 'wavy flame' type • Limb face is divided into 360 degrees • Ends of the alidade are cusped in Gothic style • Calendar scale on the back of the mater is divided into 365 days
- Construction and Design
- The astrolabe measures 100 mm in diameter and is manufactured from brass. The mater consists of two soldered brass plates, with one plate forming the limb and shackle, and the other serving as the plate. The suspension system comprises a throne, shackle, and ring, where the throne is lined on both sides. The limb is divided into 360 degrees, with intervals of 5 degrees and further subdivisions of 1 degree, and is numbered 1 to 12 twice every hour or 15 degrees. The rete is characterized by a late Gothic design and possesses 21 star pointers of the wavy flame type, all bearing names in Gothic script. The ecliptic is divided along its edge into 360 degrees by 30-degree increments, with additional divisions of 5 and 2 degrees. The ecliptic is secured to the Capricorn band by two ties, and the east-west and meridian lines are counterchanged.
- Plates and Back of Mater
- The instrument includes five plates, each engraved with east-west and meridian lines, as well as tropic and equator lines. Four of these plates feature almucantars every 3 degrees, azimuth lines, and unequal hour lines marked at even numbers. The specific latitude engravings vary across the plates, including settings for 40, 43, 45, 47, 51, 53, and 56 degrees, and one plate engraved for 'Parisi'. The fifth plate includes a tablet of horizons and a latitude scale. The back of the mater features four quadrants of 90 degrees, divided into 5-degree and 1-degree increments. A corresponding zodiac scale includes the initials of the signs, and a calendar scale is divided into 365 days, further subdivided into 30, 5, and 1-day intervals. A double shadow square and unequal hour lines are also present, and the pin is secured by a square screw-nut.
- Components and Attribution
- The rule of the astrolabe is simple and lined on the border of the single arm. The alidade is counterchanged and decorated with a simple line, featuring cusped ends in the Gothic style and one sighting hole at each vane. The instrument's construction and design details lead to an attribution to the workshop of Jean Fusoris, noting its stylistic similarities to other known instruments from this period. The current holding is the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford. Documentation for the instrument includes references to R. T. Gunther's 'The Astrolabes of the World' and internal museum inventory tracking under number 39540.
Identification
- Inventory Number
- 39540
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The attribution to the workshop of Jean Fusoris is stated as an attribution
- Research required: The instrument is noted to be very similar to Epact 86424