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Lot Essay
This instrument allowed users to find the qibla (the direction of Mecca) from wherever they were. The first step was to locate north-south by placing the instrument on a flat surface and allowing the needle to find magnetic north. The board was then rotated. The inscriptions on the wood would act as a form of map. Depending on where the user was located, they could direct themselves towards Mecca and locate the direction of the qibla.
Surviving examples of such instruments in lacquered wood are rare. For a similar example see Venetia Porter and Mariam Rosser-Owen, Metalwork and Material Culture in the Islamic World, London, 2012, fig.74, p.110. For other comparables in brass see Sotheby’s, London, 22 April 2015, lot 201 and Sotheby’s, London, 20 April 2016, lot 90.
Surviving examples of such instruments in lacquered wood are rare. For a similar example see Venetia Porter and Mariam Rosser-Owen, Metalwork and Material Culture in the Islamic World, London, 2012, fig.74, p.110. For other comparables in brass see Sotheby’s, London, 22 April 2015, lot 201 and Sotheby’s, London, 20 April 2016, lot 90.