Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Islamic Middle East, Room 42, The Jameel Gallery

Astrolabe

1715 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This astrolabe is signed by one ‘Abd al-Aimmah’ and dated to the year 1715. Iranian astrolabes fall into two categories: those made from the 10th to the 16th centuries, which continue in much the same style as the earliest Iranian astrolabes; and those made from the end of the second half of the 16th century, when there was a resurgance in astrolabe-making. These later astrolabes are decorated in the highly ornate style popular in Iran at this period. Numerous surviving examples from the 17th and 18th centuries reflect the popularity of astrology at court. The retes of these astrolabes - that is, the part of the instrument that maps the stars, made up of a rotating disk with pointers - feature patterns of vine scrolls, bearing leaf-shaped star pointers. The various components, as well as the rims and the backs, usually have patterns or inscriptions, sometimes Persian verses in either naskh or nastaliq scripts. Astrolabes from this period also often have a signature within a cartouche below the shadow square on the back.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brass, cut and engraved
Brief description
Astrolabe, Iran (Isfahan), 1715.
Physical description
Brass sheet, cut and engraved.
Dimensions
  • Maximum, with suspension ring height: 19.6cm
  • Width: 12.5cm
  • Plates diameter: 11cm
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
'Abd al-Aimmah (1) Signature; Persian; engraving)
Gallery label
Jameel Gallery 2–3 Astrolabes Like the celestial globe, the astrolabe was inherited from Greek and Roman astronomy. It shows the relative positions of the sun and stars on a flat surface. The solid plates are engraved for different latitudes. To use the astrolabe, one plate is placed in the casing (mater) under the openwork disc (rete). The rete is a star map with pointers showing the stars’ position. It is moved to the correct position once an observation has been made with the sighting device (alidade). 3 Dismantled Astrolabe Iran, Isfahan Dated 1715 Brass, cast and sheet, pierced and engraved. Made by Abd al-A’immah Museum no. 458-1888 (Jameel Gallery)
Association
Summary
This astrolabe is signed by one ‘Abd al-Aimmah’ and dated to the year 1715. Iranian astrolabes fall into two categories: those made from the 10th to the 16th centuries, which continue in much the same style as the earliest Iranian astrolabes; and those made from the end of the second half of the 16th century, when there was a resurgance in astrolabe-making. These later astrolabes are decorated in the highly ornate style popular in Iran at this period. Numerous surviving examples from the 17th and 18th centuries reflect the popularity of astrology at court. The retes of these astrolabes - that is, the part of the instrument that maps the stars, made up of a rotating disk with pointers - feature patterns of vine scrolls, bearing leaf-shaped star pointers. The various components, as well as the rims and the backs, usually have patterns or inscriptions, sometimes Persian verses in either naskh or nastaliq scripts. Astrolabes from this period also often have a signature within a cartouche below the shadow square on the back.
Bibliographic references
  • Tim Stanley (ed.), with Mariam Rosser-Owen and Stephen Vernoit, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Middle East, London, V&A Publications, 2004 pp.14, 15, 106
  • Science, Tools, Magic, Khalili Collection, Vol. XII, cat. nos. 145-151.
Collection
Accession number
458-1888

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Record createdJuly 3, 2003
Record URL
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