“From Zeus let us begin; him do we mortals never
leave unnamed...for himself it was who set the
signs
in the heavens, and marked out the
constellations,
and for the year devised what stars chiefly should
give to men right signs of the seasons, to the end
that all things might grow unfailingly”
Phaenomena, Aratus (ca. 315-240 BCE)
Sizeable circular plate of rectangular-sectioned
brass with five celestial globes and scalloped
finial
with suspension loop at head; cast and chased
decoration over whole. Four of the globes are
arranged radially around a central, larger globe;
each has astrological symbols incised over whole
and border of ... bar central globe, which has a
measured border; four chased globes to the main
plate occupy the interstices, against an
arabesque
ground; all contained with “ruler” border; the finial
is similarly filled with arabesque. The reverse is
similar but for visible hinges for globes.
If we are to believe the ancient sources then it
was
the ancient Greeks who first made an attempt to
construct a physical model to represent certain
celestial phenomena during 7th century BCE.
Ptolemy (ACE 127-148), the great astronomer of
Alexandria made two important contributions to
the
history of celestial globes- quite simply, globes,
which fix the position of the stars, as seen from
outside the sphere - in his treatise, The Almagest,
which formed the basis for all star catalogues
used
by globe makers thereafter.
An armillary sphere is a model of objects in the
celestial sphere. In this case, five celestial globes
have been mounted into a planispheric plate,
which
differs from the conventional structure whereby a
framework of rings, centred on earth, represent
the
lines of celestial longitude and latitude and other
astronomically important features.
As per Ptolemy’s treatise, each globe is dark in
colour so to represent the night sky and cast by
cire
perdue process of making seamless globes;
much
like a terrestial globe, two antipodal points are
marked and the surface of the globe divided into
meridians; two great circles mark the north and
south ecliptic polar circles.
Even though The Almagest was translated into
Arabic and widely circulated throughout the
Islamic
world, Islamicate celestial globes actually mark a
break away from preceding Greco-Roman and
Byzantine globes. Important treatises written by
Islamic sources during 9th and 10th centuries
further refined concepts and the design of
astronomical instruments.
Rather than constellation outlines we have the
zodiac signs shown as emblematic designs. The
classical constellations, such as the Great Bear,
Pegasus, Orion and the twelve signs of the
zodiac
are depicted. The human figure at the equator is
also shown fully frontally as opposed to behind,
breaking from earlier praxis.
The arabesque and lack of animate
representation –
bar the signs of the zodiac, which were permitted
in
iconoclastic strictures of Islam - suggest this
intimated Islamicate examples. This piece heralds
from India during a period of British occupation
and
is likely to have been produced in one of the
northern Indian workshops that are known to
have
produced Islamicate style globes as early as
16th-
17th centuries and continued well into 20th
century.
The tradition was most likely brought to India by
the
Mughals that ruled large parts of India and
subcontinent from ACE 1526. While, they abided
to
the governing principles at large, the emphasis
was
not necessarily on technical function but
aesthetic
appeal.
It is worth mentioning a 12th century treatise by
Al-
Khazini, entitled ‘The Sphere that Rotates by
itself’,
which describes a globe that instead of being
placed
in a visual set of rings as per TRADITION, THE
GLOBE
IS HALF SUNK IN A BOX AND PROPELLED SO
AS TO
ROTATE ONCE A DAY BY A MECHANISM OF
PULLEYS.
IT STANDS TO REASON THEREFORE THAT
GLOBES
WERE MOUNTED IN OBJECTS OVER THAN THE
CONVENTIONAL SET OF RINGS. THE GLOBES
IN THIS
CASE HAVE BEEN MOUNTED IN A
PLANISPHERICAL
PLATE, MARKING THE ARTICULATION OF
ROTATING
GLOBES.
AN ARRESTING AND INTERESTING PIECE THAT
MARKS THE CONTINUITY OF A TRADITION,
WHICH
DESPITE SLIGHT CHANGES USHERED IN
DURING THE
ISLAMIC ERA, ENDURED AND REMAINED
UNCHANGED FOR CENTURIES.
- (SF.223)
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