A rete of an astrolabe, unsigned, undated, India, 17th-Century,
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A rete of an astrolabe, unsigned, undated, India, 17th-Century,

Details
A rete of an astrolabe, unsigned, undated, India, 17th-Century,
brass -- 5 7/8in. (14.8cm) diameter; this decorated rete is in the Indian tradition, with an arc of the equatorial ring in the upper half of the ecliptic and rather foliate forms serving ring in the upper half of the ecliptic and rather heavy foliate forms serving as the star-pointers. Although the star-pointers have been constructed with some care, the rete is essentially non-fuctional since the scale of the ecliptic is not
marked. It is nevertheless not without historical interest. The horizontal bar is counter-changed at the equinoxes and at the centre. There is a vertical bar complete but for two multilobed bi-furcated frames just below the northern and southern limits of the ecliptic, the upper one broader than the lower one. There is a small knob just below the first of these frames. In addition, there is a short equatorial baracross the vertical axis inside the ecliptic. The design of the rete bears some resemblance to that on a signed astrolabe made in Lahore in 1609 and now preserved in Hannover; however, this rete cannot be definitively associated with the Lahore school.

The ecliptic is divided only for the zodiacal signs whose names are correctly written. The star-pointers, some of which have small holes near the tips to indicate the precise star-positions, serve the following 26 stars, here listed in four quadrants counter-clockwise from the vernal equinox:
dhanab al-qaytus Ceti
ra's al-ghul Persei
fam al-qaytus Ceti
dabaran Tauri
rijl al-yumna Orionis
al-'ayyuq Aurigae
rijl al-jawza'al-yusra Orionis
mankib al-jawza Orionis

shi'r[a] al-yamani Canis maioris
shi'ra-i sha'mi Canis minoris
fard al-shuja Hydrae
qalb al-asad Leonis
al-sarfa Leonis
janah al-ghurab Corvi

simak al-a'zab Virginis
mufrad [?] al-ramih [unusual] Librae (?)
kabd al-asad [dubious] ? Leonis
simak al-ramih Bootis
ra's al-jathi Herculis
munir al-fakka Coronae borealis
ra's al-hawwa Ophiuchi

See Colour Illustration




Special notice
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Lot Essay

This decorated rete is in the Indian tradition, with an arc of the equatorial ring in the upper half of the ecliptic and rather heavy foliate forms serving ring in the upper half of the ecliptic and rather heavy foliate forms serving as the star-pointers. Although the star-pointers have been constructed with some care, the rete is essentially non-fuctional since the scale of the ecliptic is not marked. It is nevertheless not without historical interest. The horizontal bar is counter-changed at the equinoxes and at the centre. There is a vertical bar complete but for two multilobed bi-furcated frames just below the northern and southern limits of the ecliptic, the upper one broader than the lower one. There is a small knob just below the first of these frames. In addition, there is a short equatorial bar across the vertical axis inside the ecliptic. The design of the rete bears some resemblance to that on a signed astrolabe made in Lahore in 1609 and now preserved in Hannover; however, this rete cannot be definitively associated with the Lahore school.

The ecliptic is divided only for the zodiacal signs whose names are correctly written. The star-pointers, some of which have small holes near the tips to indicate the precise star-positions, serve the following 26 stars, here listed in four quadrants counter-clockwise from the vernal equinox:

dhanab al-qaytus Ceti
ra's al-ghul Persei
fam al-qaytus Ceti
dabaran Tauri
rijl al-yumna Orionis
al-'ayyuq Aurigae
rijl al-jawza'al-yusra Orionis
mankib al-jawza Orionis

shi'r[a] al-yamani Canis maioris
shi'ra-i sha'mi Canis minoris
fard al-shuja Hydrae
qalb al-asad Leonis
al-sarfa Leonis
janah al-ghurab Corvi

simak al-a'zab Virginis
mufrad [?] al-ramih [unusual] Librae (?)
kabd al-asad [dubious] ? Leonis
simak al-ramih Bootis
ra's al-jathi Herculis
munir al-fakka Coronae borealis
ra's al-hawwa Ophiuchi

nasr al-waqi Lyrae
nasr al-ta'ir Aquilae
dhanab al-dalfin [sic -
read al-dulfin] Delphini
dhanab al-dajaja Cygni
Kaff al-khadib Cassiopeiae

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