Brass Astrolabe for Horoscopes
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
16th century (?)
This brass astrolabe, inventory number 41951, is attributed to 16th-century Europe. The instrument was designed to assist in casting horoscopes. Its construction features a mater and limb made of two pieces in soldered brass, accompanied by a throne of a simple type with s-shaped scrollwork supports and a round cross-section ring.
The womb of the mater is engraved with horoscopic houses, while a simplified rete, comprising only an ecliptic band, rotates over these lines. The back of the instrument displays a set of radial scales used to indicate the time of sunset at six-day intervals throughout the year. The device includes a single-ended pointer, and the rete is secured by a rivet.
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
- 16th century (?)
- Type
- Planispheric astrolabe
- Material
- Brass
- Throne Type
- Simple type with s-shaped scroll work
- Construction
- Two-piece soldered mater and limb
- Intended Use
- Casting horoscopes
- Place recorded
- Europe
- Rete Configuration
- Simplified ecliptic band
- Place of Manufacture
- Europe
Design
- Visible features
- • The limb features a circular, concentric scale for equal hours numbered 1-12. • The rete includes a zodiac band marked with symbols for the twelve signs. • The back is engraved with radial scales and numeric data for sunset times. • The throne is designed with s-shaped scrollwork.
- Construction and Design
- The astrolabe is fabricated from brass, utilizing a two-piece, soldered construction for the mater and the limb. The external appearance is defined by a simple throne featuring s-shaped scrollwork supports and an integrated base, attached to a ring with a plain, round cross-section. The design emphasizes portability, as the small, simple architecture suggests the tool was meant to be carried. The front of the mater is engraved with horoscopic houses, which are numbered using engraved digits. The rete is minimal in its design, lacking star pointers and consisting primarily of an ecliptic band that pivots over the womb of the mater, allowing the user to align a single pointer to specific points on the zodiac.
- Functionality and Scales
- Designed specifically for horoscopic calculation, the instrument requires the user to set a pointer at the sun's position on the ecliptic. By rotating the assembly, the user can determine the time for casting a horoscope and read the house cusps where the ecliptic intersects the horoscopic lines in the womb. The limb is graduated with a scale for equal hours, arranged in a circular, concentric layout numbering 1 through 12. The back of the astrolabe is heavily detailed with radial scales. These scales provide the time of sunset at six-day intervals for each month of the year, facilitating the time-keeping requirements of the user.
- Provenance and Identification
- The instrument is recorded in the Astrolabe Catalogue of the History of Science Museum at the University of Oxford under inventory number 41951. Regarding its history, the museum reports that no acquisition details have been found. Nothing is known regarding its provenance prior to its entry into the collection.
Identification
- Inventory Number
- 41951
- 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 exact date of manufacture is uncertain and recorded as '16th century (?)'.
- Research required: The geographical origin is broadly attributed to Europe, with no specific maker or workshop identified.