Planispheric astrolabe
Dated A.H. 1065 / A.D. 1654–55
Maker: Muhammad Zaman al-Munajjim al-Asturlabi (active 1643–89)
Iran, Mashhad
Brass and steel; cast and hammered, pierced and engraved; 8 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 2 1/4 in. (21.6 x 17.1 x 5.7 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1963 (63.166a–j)
KEY WORDS AND IDEAS
Astronomy, technology, Renaissance, Iran, cultural exchange, calligraphy (nasta'liq script), brass, steel
LINK TO THE THEME OF THIS CHAPTER
Astrolabes were the most important astronomical instruments in the Islamic world and Europe until the early Renaissance. Astrolabes created in the Islamic world made their way to the West and shaped the production of these scientific tools in Europe.
FUNCTION
An astrolabe maps the spherical universe on a flat surface without compromising the exact angles between the celestial bodies. Thus, it can show the position of the stars and planets in the sky at a particular location and time. When given certain initial values, astrolabes can do a range of astronomical, astrological, and topographical calculations, such as measuring latitudes, telling time, and determining hours of daylight. They were also used to determine prayer times and the direction of Mecca.
DESCRIPTION/VISUAL ANALYSIS
An astrolabe consists of a number of stacked circular plates, which rotate around the axis of a central pin (fig. 19). The topmost plate, the rete, was often decorated. In this example, an elegant cut-brass lattice forms the bismillah, the opening phrase of most chapters (suras) of the Qur'an. The degrees of latitude and geographical locations are engraved on the topmost plate. The name of the maker is on the back.
CONTEXT
The earliest examples of Persian astrolabes date from the ninth and tenth centuries. This particular one was made in seventeenth-century Iran, a flourishing center of astrolabe production. Scientists and artisans in the Islamic world embellished and refined the astrolabe, which was originally an ancient Greek invention. Astrolabes produced in the Islamic world inspired those made in Europe. For example, this astrolabe and another by a Flemish maker, Arsenius, with a similar calligraphic design, were both based upon earlier Islamic prototypes.
Fig. 19. Illustration showing the parts of an astrolabe
LEARN MORE
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Collections
TED Talk—Tom Wujec Demos the 13th-Century Astrolabe:
