Astrolabe plate, southern France or Italy, late 15th century (Inv. 49847)
Medical astrology
This plate comes from the astrolabe and equatorium displayed in the 'Cosmos' case. Lines for predicting the development of fevers indicate that the instrument was used for the astrological aspects of medicine. It is also significant that the astrolabe side of the complete instrument has two retes, the smaller one consisting only of an ecliptic circle, engraved with a zodiac scale, and a circular scale numbered 1-28, representing the mansions of the moon.