1
_ID%3D22269
Metalwork
Astrolabe
Persian artist
Persian artist
Iraq
Primary
7 x 4 1/2 x 15/16 in. (17.8 x 11.5 x 2.4 cm)
Bronze
Bronze
Persian; made in Isphahan Province
ca. 1697
1692
1702
C12535 1937.111
Metalwork
Astrolabes are ancient hand-held astronomical and astrological instruments used to measure the height of the sun or a star above the horizon. These measurements, made by manipulating a series of circular brass plates, show how the skies will appear at a specific place at a given time. Although the Greeks invented the basic astrolabe more than 2,000 years ago, Muslim scholars had created sophisticated instruments by around 800 CE. They introduced the devices to Europe through Islamic Spain, or Andalusia, in the early 1100s, where they became a basic component in scientific education.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
32.2009L
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/24/2009
32.2009LDI#1
digital image
9/29/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/32.2009L_A1.jpg
32.2009LDI#2
digital image
Back
9/29/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/32.2009L_A2.jpg
32.2009LDI#3
digital image
Detail
9/29/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/32.2009L_A3.jpg