Craft

The astrolabe is an instrument used by astronomers and navigators for determining the position of heavenly bodies at any time of the year and at any latitude. It is thought to have been invented by Hipparchus in the 2nd century BC. Numerous books concerning the astrolabe are known to have been written in the 9th century at the great Abbasid university in Harran, and in the 10th century the use of the astrolabe spread from Arab-ruled Spain to the rest of Europe. As a result of expanding trade and naval warfare the need was felt for ships that were able to sail out of sight of land, and for this sailors needed to be able to determine their latitude and longitude by the stars. Consequently the ship"s astrolabe came into use around 1450. The design of the Astrolabe Vase is based on a silver inlaid astrolabe dating from 1223, and the decoration is gilded.