Recent Acquisitions display label 2019
Just another astrolabe?
The Museum has the world’s largest collection of astrolabes, a type of astronomical instrument whose origins go back to antiquity. Why acquire another?
This instrument is not only a unique design but is an example of a medieval device that has later been reworked. The adaptations date from the end of the 16th century and therefore tell a story of the Renaissance recycling rather than rejecting the Middle Ages.
The acquisition has prompted new research. From the engraving style of the letters and numbers, Dr Koenraad van Cleempoel has identified the maker responsible for the later additions. His recognition of the work of the Louvain maker Adriaan Zeelst made an unexpected connection back to the Museum’s collection.
Zeelst was co-author of a 1602 book on astrolabes whose large plates he engraved. Although a copy of the book came to the Museum on its foundation in 1924, the very rare plates were missing until a set of prints was acquired in 2006. Remarkably, we discovered that the special form of our new astrolabe is actually illustrated in this work.