Fit for a King: Decoding the Great Sloane Astrolabe and Other English Astrolabes with âQuatrefoilâ Retes
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Abstract
The great Sloane astrolabe in the British Museum is the largest and most important of all medieval English instruments and yet its history is completely lost. In this paper, evidence from its various engravings is used to show that it is likely to have been commissioned, ca. 1326, by Richard de Bury as a teaching tool for Prince Edward of Windsor who was soon to become King Edward iii. Comparisons are made with two illuminated manuscripts, the âMilemete Treatiseâ and a copy of the Secretum Secretorum, which were also used in the Princeâs education. Two other medieval astrolabes, now in Liège and in the London Science Museum, are believed to be closely associated with the Sloane instrument and derived from it.
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Fit for a King: Decoding the Great Sloane Astrolabe and Other English Astrolabes with âQuatrefoilâ Retes
In: Medieval EncountersSearch for other papers by John Davis in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The great Sloane astrolabe in the British Museum is the largest and most important of all medieval English instruments and yet its history is completely lost. In this paper, evidence from its various engravings is used to show that it is likely to have been commissioned, ca. 1326, by Richard de Bury as a teaching tool for Prince Edward of Windsor who was soon to become King Edward iii. Comparisons are made with two illuminated manuscripts, the âMilemete Treatiseâ and a copy of the Secretum Secretorum, which were also used in the Princeâs education. Two other medieval astrolabes, now in Liège and in the London Science Museum, are believed to be closely associated with the Sloane instrument and derived from it.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 883 | 141 | 18 |
| Full Text Views | 505 | 10 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 258 | 26 | 1 |
