Date | late 18th or early 19th century |
Place | India |
Material | Brass |
Inventory no. | 30402 |
Acquisition | Purchased at Christie's, London, in 1988 |
This astrolabe was probably made in Jaipur, in Northern India. Like many of the astrolabes produced there, this one is quite large — indeed, it is the largest in the collection — and has a single plate engraved for 27°, the latitude of Jaipur. Another common feature is the sighting tube on the back of the instrument.
One unusual and interesting feature of this instrument is the inscription across the throne, श्रीयंत्रराज ('The glorious astrolabe'). It suggests the prestige accorded to the astrolabe in Jaipur, which had become the centre for the manufacture of astrolabes in the eighteenth century as a result of the observatory founded there by the maharajah Jai Singh II (1688-1743).
Special thanks to Professors S.R. Sarma and Chris Minkowski for their help in transcribing and translating the Sanskrit on this instrument.
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Mater
The mater and limb are of one-piece construction. The limb on this mater consists of simply that portion of the mater that extends beyond the rete. Scales on the limb: degree scale. More informationBack
The back contains 7 scales of the following types: Altitude; Degree; Sine/Cosine; Shadow square. More informationRete, Pin & Wedge
The rete contains 38 stars. The zodiac on the rete is labelled: मेष , वृष , मिथुन , कर्क , सिंह , कन्या , तुल , वृश्चिक , धन , मकर , कुंभ , मीन .The rete is attached using a pin & wedge. More information
Rules & Alidades
Type | Details |
---|---|
Alidade | Double-ended. In addition to the pin-hole sights, the
alidade has a sighting tube characteristic of Indian
instruments. |