Date | 1551 |
Maker | Anthoine Mestrel |
Place | Paris |
Material | Brass |
Inventory no. | 32378 |
Acquisition | Presented by J. A. Billmeir in 1957 |
This is a universal astrolabe, that is, one that can be used in any latitude. While many universal astrolabes from the 16th century have a universal function in additional to (and separate from) the traditional projection with latitude plates, here the common projection is boldly discarded and the user offered only the universal design of the Spanish mathematician Juan de Rojas.
The instrument is very closely associated with the project of de Rojas, for it resembles in every detail the illustrations in his book on the astrolabe design, published in Paris in 1551. The instrument bears the same place and date - Paris, 1551. One possibility is that the publisher, or an enterprising bookseller, offered his customers the possibility of an astrolabe alongside the instruction book of de Rojas.
View all
images for this astrolabe
View
detailed provenance for this astrolabe
Mater
The mater and limb are of two pieces, riveted construction. Scales on the limb: equal hours scale; degree scale. More informationBack
The back bears a de Rojas projection. The back contains 0 scales. The universal on the back contains 1 scales. More informationRules & Alidades
Type | Details |
---|---|
Pointer | Double-ended, counter-changed. |
Regula | Double-ended, counter-changed. The cursor is
missing. |