Astronomical Compendium, 1596

This elaborate, gilt and silvered brass compendium has two outer leaves around a central box and contains numerous types of dials, time telling devices, tables, even storage compartments andan astrolabe.

The outside face of the top cover is engraved in the manner of a quadrant. On the left hand side of the quadrant is a scale engraved with the symbols of the zodiacal signs. The bottom part of the cover is engraved with the names and declination of 15 stars, many numbered. Among them are Cor Leonis, Aquila and the Pleiades.

The inner side of the top cover is engraved with a table of citiesand latitudes, among them Bordeaux, Heidelberg, Vienna, Prague, Rome, and London.

The upper side of the central box is engraved with a table of 29stellar latitudes and longitudes. For each star is listed the Latin name, the Arabic name, the zodiacal sign, longitude and latitudein degrees and minutes, the hemisphere and the magnitude

The lower side of the central box is divided into two parts: 1) The upper part has 11 compartments for drawing instruments, now empty. 2) The lower part has a triangular gnomon dial, with a compass on its lower part. The back of leaf a has a volvelle with a Rojas projection.

The inner side of the bottom cover of the compendium has two hinged silver tables on the top and bottom of the leaf and anastrolabe in the centre.

BM-1857,1116.1 Astronomical-compendium
Astronomical Compendium, 1596, Heilbronn (Germany), H: 12,7 cm, W: 7,5 cm, D: 2 cm, British Museum 1857,1116.1 © The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0