Description:

AN ANDALUSIAN SILVERED ASTROLABE, SIGNED BY ASSADOLAH, INSCRIBED CORDOBA, SPAIN, CIRCA 1800
Cordoba, Spain, circa 1800

Description:
A rare and beautifully preserved silvered-brass astrolabe, signed by the maker Assadolah and inscribed with the place of manufacture, Cordoba. Of finely balanced form and sensitive craftsmanship, this piece reflects the enduring legacy of Andalusian scientific heritage well into the modern period. The rete is elegantly constructed with numerous star pointers denoting key celestial bodies, each terminating in delicately rounded knobs. It overlays a mater finely engraved with concentric rings of numerals and Qur’anic or astronomical inscriptions in a mixture of Arabic scripts.

The throne is particularly ornate, pierced and engraved with foliate motifs in the classical Andalusian style, supporting a large suspension ring. The instrument includes a rotating alidade on the reverse, used for sighting stars or solar measurements. Its level of detail and precision would have enabled a user to determine time, direction, and celestial positioning with accuracy across multiple latitudes.

Despite the 19th-century date, the astrolabe retains a classical Islamic layout and structure, indicating the conservative nature of Andalusian scientific traditions and their continued ceremonial or educational value long after the golden age of Islamic astronomy.

Dimensions: Diameter: 13.5cm

Comparable examples:

  • A signed 19th-century Spanish astrolabe from Andalusia sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2018, Lot 54, for £13,750.

  • A silvered astrolabe of similar dimensions and star pointers achieved £15,000 at Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 27 April 2022, Lot 68.

  • A Spanish-Moroccan astrolabe dated late 18th century sold at Christie’s, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 23 October 2020, Lot 94, for £12,500.

Note:
Astrolabes were not only scientific instruments but also symbolic artefacts of intellectual prestige. The inscription of Cordoba on this example revives the memory of the city’s historic role as a centre of Islamic science and philosophy. Even in the 19th century, such instruments retained their value as both tools and talismans of scholarship, connecting their users to a centuries-old tradition of celestial knowledge and cosmological contemplation.

 Provenance:

Private British Collection circa 1980's 
Thence by descent 

Accepted Forms of Payment:

MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
London, United Kingdom

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