Sphere diameter: 19.8 cm,
Object size: Please refer to dimension of individual parts
The celestial globe is a three-dimensional map of stars and constellations as they surround the Earth. It is used both as an instrument for astronomical calculations and sometimes in service of astrology. The globe is signed and dated in Arabic as “’amal al-Iskanderani AH 1312” (“the work of al-Iskanderani AD 1894-95). Distinct from Greco-Roman and Byzantine traditions, Islamic celestial globes present the constellations as facing outwards towards the user, instead of inwards towards the Earth imagined at the centre of the globe. That is, the backs of the engraved figures should be facing the viewer. The iconography is based on the 2nd century Greek text, the Almagest by Claudius Ptolemy and the 10th century Book of the Fixed Stars by Persian astronomer, ‘Abd al-Rahman as-Sufi.
