Astrolabe made for Cardinal Bessarion (1403–1472)

Medieval stargazers had a refined understanding of the movements of heavenly bodies. This was thanks in part to the astrolabe, a scientific instrument whose two-dimensional representations of heaven and earth enable the user to make complex astronomical calculations for the purposes of celestial navigation, surveying, and telling time, among many other tasks. This exceptional example brings together art, science, and faith, as its engraved decorations celebrate God’s agency in the universe. On its front face, a delicate, openwork star map portrays the night sky as a graceful dance of heavenly bodies. On the engraved reverse, a contemplative angel with wings protectively outstretched alludes to the divine ordering of the cosmos. Additionally, this astrolabe commemorates the meeting of two of the liveliest minds of the fifteenth century. Its inscription names the work’s patron, Cardinal Bessarion (1403-72), a Greek theologian and scholar whose remarkable career carried him from Byzantium to Italy, as well as its maker, John, thought to be the celebrated German astronomer known as Regiomontanus (1436-76).