Brass Astrolabe, 14th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
14th century
This 14th-century European brass astrolabe (inventory number 47615) is comprised of a mater with a riveted limb, a rete, four latitude plates, an alidade, and a rule.
The rete, of a gothic quatrefoil design, includes 32 stars marked by flamant pointers and a zodiacal band. The Tropic of Capricorn on the rete is decorated with a zoomorphic dragon, oriented with its head to the left, which is noted as an unusual feature among similar items in the collection. The back of the mater is engraved with six scales: degree, zodiacal, calendar, lunar mansions, unequal hours, and a shadow square.
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
- 14th century
- Type
- Latin-inscribed astrolabe
- Material
- Brass
- Provenance
- Presented by J. A. Billmeir in 1957
- Throne type
- Three-lobed
- Construction
- Two-piece mater and limb, riveted
- Place recorded
- Europe
- Acquisition source
- Nicolas Landau
Design
- Rete and Alidade
- The rete is designed in a gothic quatrefoil style and supports 32 stars, each indicated by a flamant pointer. The zodiacal band lists the twelve signs from Aries to Pisces. A notable feature is the zoomorphic decoration on the Tropic of Capricorn, which terminates in the head and tail of a dragon, with the head positioned on the left-hand end. The alidade is double-ended and counter-changed, described as rigid with double sights. The accompanying rule is also original, and both components feature scales for unequal hours. The assembly is held together by a pin and wedge mechanism with a fitted spacer.
- Visible features
- • Three-lobed throne with omega-shaped shackle • Gothic style quatrefoil rete design • Zoomorphic dragon ornament on the Tropic of Capricorn • Double-ended, counter-changed alidade
- Construction and Layout
- The astrolabe is constructed primarily of brass and consists of a mater with a riveted limb and a series of plates. The mater features a three-lobed throne with an integrated base, to which a simple band ring and an omega-shaped shackle are attached via a large pin. The limb includes a degree scale ranging from 0 to 360 degrees, marked every five degrees. The instrument includes four plates with latitudes ranging from 33° to 45°. The back of the mater is engraved with six distinct circular and arc-shaped scales, including zodiacal signs, a calendar, lunar mansions, unequal hours, and a shadow square, organized in concentric or eccentric arrangements.
- Provenance and Documentation
- The object is catalogued as inventory number 47615 in the History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. It was added to the collection in 1957 through a gift from J. A. Billmeir. Records indicate that the object was purchased by Billmeir between 1955 and 1957 from Nicolas Landau, a dealer and collector based in Paris. The instrument's history is documented within the museum's astrolabe catalogue, which provides details regarding the star names on the rete, noting that while many names are clearly associated with modern equivalents, others are misplaced or ambiguous.
Identification
- Serial number
- 47615
- Inventory number
- 47615
- 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: Many star names are noted as clearly misplaced
- Research required: Some star pointers remain ambiguous regarding their modern identity