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Celestial Globe

A.H. 622 (1225/26)
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Covered with forty-eight figures from constellations and 1,025 stars graduated in size to convey relative magnitude, this splendid globe belonged to Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil (reigned 1218–1238), nephew of Saladin, who won control of Jerusalem in 1187. In al-Kamil’s hands, scientific instruments served as diplomatic tools. The exchange of beautiful and sophisticated works like this one provided a framework for friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250). Though adversaries, they were able to forge a decade-long treaty that ensured shared access to Jerusalem.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Celestial Globe
  • Artist: ʿAlam al-Din Qaysar (Egyptian, 1178/79–1251)
  • Date: A.H. 622 (1225/26)
  • Geography: Made in Egypt or Syria
  • Medium: Copper alloy inlaid with silver and copper
  • Dimensions: 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters