Existing comment:
Western Astrolabe
ca. 1591
Tobias Volckmer
Tobias Volckmer made this astrolabe prior to his appointment as goldsmith and mathematician to the Bavarian court. He may have created the lavishly decorated object for Emperor Rudolf II, who was keenly interested in astronomy and astrology. Admired as the "queen" of scientific instruments, the astrolabe combines a model of the cosmos and a universal calculating tool. One side bears a two-dimensional projection of the world that can demonstrate the apparent rotation of the stars; the other side serves as a tool for calculating angles. |