Epact Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe

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Astrolabe
Signed Hanns Herghamer
Dated 1492; German
Paper and vellum; 142 mm in diameter

The lower sheet, in vellum, has a circle marked in red with the four cardinal points and divided into equal hours 1 to 12, numbered by 1. There are lines dividing the houses of heaven, numbered 1 to 12. The line for 1, the eastern horizon, is marked '1a dom<us> orizon obliquus', that for 7 marked 'occidenus'. The projection is from the south pole.

A vellum disc, with a painted and decorated centre, rotates at the centre of the circle and has a zodiacal scale with symbols for the signs, each with a 30-degree scale divided to 10, subdivided to 5 with alternate filling, numbered by 10. Alternate signs are marked and graduated in red and brown (black?).

Above the disc is a counterchanged rule, which with the disc is held by a brass pin. The vellum sheet is pasted to a paper sheet with ink writing, on which is the signature 'Hanns Herghamer ? 1 ? 4 ? 9 ? 2 ?'.

Jim Bennett

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
Inventory number 91897

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