A stone astrolabe, India, 19th century

Ex-private collection, UK, 1980s

Simon Ray, London, 2 July 2003

Ex-collection A.J. (John) Lippitt (1928-2019), Hampshire

This unusual astrolabe is closely comparable to two examples in stone published by Sarma, one in a private collection, and the other in the Adler Planetarium, Chicago (Sarma, 2023, pp.4029-4033, nos.W004 and W005). The three examples are produced on an identical dark stone with similarly executed engraved scales with holes neatly bored into the surface but not through the entire thickness. Sarma’s W005 also shows a simply rendered triangular kursi while the kursi of the Adler Plantarium example is cusped.

The close similarities suggest the three were produced by the same artisan, who Sarma describes as a competent draftsman probably working in either Jaipur or Kuchaman, the main centres of astrolabe production in Rajasthan. It is possible that these objects were intended as templates for the artisans, while Sarma suggests that the artisan could have made these examples for their own amusement.