Hic Sunt Dracones:1 Why Are There Dragons on Medieval Astrolabes?

Hic Sunt Dracones:1 Why are there dragons on medieval astrolabes?

John Davis

One of the many delights of researching medieval astrolabes is that the star pointers on their retes are often zoomorphic. In particular, the two ends of its outer frame (the Capricornian ring) are sometimes fashioned as the head and tail of a dragon – see Fig. 1 for an example. Whilst the use of a dog’s head as the pointer for the Dog star Sirius (αCMa, Alhabor), or birds for the Eagle Altair (α Aql) or the Ra- ven Corvus (g Crv, Algorab) are obviously intended as forms of a rebus or aide-memoire, it is not clear what meaning the dragon is sup- posed to portray. Surprisingly, there have been very few proper studies of this feature with not even a listing of which astrolabes include dragons being published, let alone an accepted hypothesis connecting them with a development of the instrument from the early 14th century onwards. Owen Gingerich did publish a useful study in 1987 on zoomorphic astrolabes but he was principally interested in the introduction of Arabic star names into the Latin West.2 More recently, Azucena Pérez has made an important contribution to the subject3, point- ing out that the dragons only appear on Chris- tian astrolabes, not on Islamic ones, and that they are not discussed in contemporary manuscript treatises describing the design and use of the instrument, despite the fact that they are actually included in some of the illustrations to Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1391 Treatise on the Astrolabe.4 Instead, she points to contemporary astrological and magic treatises which do consider dragons. Other authors have mentioned the dragons in passing: John North5 Fig. 1 (a) The earliest dated Latin astrolabe ientife them merely s str ointers for the of 1326 includes the head and tail of a stars Calbalacrab (α Sco, Cor Scorpionis) and dragon. British Museum inv. BM 1909 Denebalgedi (d Cap, Cauda Capricorni). Paul 0617.1. Left (b) the dragon’s head. Photos by Kunitzsch6 showed that they might be indica- the author with permission of the Trustees of tors of the Ptolemaic constellation Serpens. the British Museum. i in hs shon them freuently in his extensive astrolabe publications but without a detailed discussion.7 These ideas will be discussed below but it should be pointed out Fig. 2 One of a pair of ‘dragons’ in the that existing explanations are exclusively as- wrought ironwork of the infrmary doors of tronomical and thus may well miss the way in Norwich Cathedral c. 1280. Now in Norwich which medieval minds were working. Castle Museum. A Note on Terminology In Latin, serpens refers to a snake, a real ani- mal sometimes called a serpent in old English, and dracone to the mythical dragon.8 How- ever, these distinctions were not always made and it is often not clear which beast is being indicated – the creature in the 13th-century rouhtironor on the infrmry oors of Norwich Cathedral (Fig. 2) could be either.9 Added to this, there was a variety of different types of dragon to be found in a medieval bestiary. The true dragon had two pairs of

2 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) be others to add to the list. The table makes seerl oints frstly the erliest te u- roen scientifc instrument from 132 n now in the British Museum (BM; see Fig. 1), is on the list (no. 1) and hence is the earliest dated appearance of a dragon on the Capri- cornian ring.13 Secondly, the majority of the earliest astrolabes are English but dragons became popular on Italian astrolabes from the middle of the fourteenth century, remaining until the beginning of the sixteenth century. Other nations are missing from the list – there are no instruments from Spain or Germany listed and the austere designs from the Pa- risian workshop of Jean Fusoris never have dragons. Thirdly, although the most common confurtion is to he the he of the ron on the right (near Scorpionis/Sagittarius on the ecliptic) and its tail on the left (near Capri- cornusurius) the oosite rrnement is also seen and there are even cases where there are two heads and no tail. These variations are unexplained. It is highly likely that there were a few astrolabes in England before the BM’s 1326 instrument. For example, Adelard of Bath would have had an astrolabe when he wrote his De Opere Astrolapsus for Henry II in 1142 or 1149.14 And Walcher of Malvern evidently had one (possibly brought from his home location of Lotharingia) for timing the lunar eclipse of 18 October 1092.15 We have no idea whether they included dragons but it seems unlikely as their astrolabes would have followed the Islamic designs gradually being copied in the Latin parts of the Iberian peninsula. Fig. 3 (a) Vincenzo Danti’s astrolabe, c. Two other astrolabes are thought to have been 1490. After Gunther (ref . 11) Left (b) the made within a year or two of the BM’s 1326 dragon’s head. instrument. One of these is the Great Sloane astrolabe16, also in the BM, and the other is to here generically as dragons. Robert Gun- a very small astrolabe belonging to Gonville ther, though, describes the creatures on Vin- and Caius College, Cambridge, where it has cenzo Danti’s astrolabe (no. 27 in Table 1) spent most of its life.17 All three of these as- as “snakes” despite the fact that both heads trolabes also include calendars on their backs clearly have ears and, on this occasion, the which list a selection of important saints’ or animals have legs too, as can be seen in Fig. fest ys. hey ere the frst to ot this 11 3. Elsewhere, he tends to describe the Eng- feature which became a particularly English lish astrolabes as having “Dragons” whereas trait for the next century and they also all have legs and a pair of wings. The ‘wyvern’ had en inerich clls the fures on the in- connections with East Anglia which will be one pair of legs and wings whilst the ‘wyrm’ swick’ and ‘Blakene’ astrolabes (nos. 12 and discussed further below. The dragon’s head on had neither wings nor legs and hence looked 11 in Table 1 respectively) “serpents” so it the Sloane astrolabe (Fig. 4) is in the left-hand rather like a snake though its breath was said seems there has been little consensus or con- position and is easily overlooked. That on the to be poisonous. Note, though, that dragons 12 sistency amongst modern writers. Ptolemy Caius astrolabe (Fig. 5) is not particularly had (external) ears which real snakes lack. did know the difference and his list of 48 clas- well modelled but is more prominent. One form of ‘dragon’ known as an ‘amphis- sical constellations includes both Draco (in baena’ had a secondary head on its tail which the far northern sky not related to astrolabes) Astrological and Astronomical Origins might account for some of the astrolabe de- and Serpens, on which there is more below. The early references to dragons in an astro- 10 pictions. Both these constellations appear amongst the nomical and/or astrological context come By the nature of the Capricornian ring, the 88 of the modern IAU list. from the Islamic world though the origins are th beasts on astrolabe retes are generally long Which Astrolabes Have Dragons? much earlier. For example, a 12 -century Ar- and thin, lacking legs or wings, but they usu- abic manuscript has a frontispiece miniature Table 1 lists the astrolabes which are known ally have visible ears so they will be referred in which the head and tail of a dragon – ca- to feature dragons on their retes – there may

Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) 3 Fig. 4 The rather small dragon on the British Museum great Sloane astrolabe (SL. MathInst 54; #324), dated to c. 1326. Photo by the author, with thanks to the Trustees of the British Museum. put draconis and cauda draconis respectively – stand for the two nodes of the lunar orbit which cut the ecliptic 180° apart.18 These points are the result of the orbit being at ap- proximately 5° to the ecliptic and it is only when the moon is at or very close to these points that an eclipse, either lunar or solar, is possible. The myth that it is a dragon swallow- ing the sun or moon that creates the eclipse goes back to the Babylonian civilisation and, in the middle ages, led to the two nodes being designated as pseudo-planets which appear on eutori n stronomicl tles ith n orbit of their own. A physical representation of symbolic rep- resentations of the pseudo-planets caput and cauda draconis amongst the other classical planets can be seen on the lid of the famous silver-inlaid bronze ‘Vasa Vescovali’ in the British Museum (Fig. 6).19 The vase dates to c. 1200 and is from Khurasan or possibly Herat (modern Iran and Afghanistan). The lid features eight roundels which contain person- ifctions of the lnets incluin the ron ‘Jawzahr’ who represents the lunar eclipse. An exhibition in New York in 1997 was ex- plicitly arranged to display the images of the zodiac in Islamic art.20 Despite this abundance ir of rons) circle inefnitely sllo- of interest in astrology in the Arab world, it ing its tail. The symbol was later used on the must be stressed that no Islamic astrolabe is 1582 papal medal (Fig. 7) of Pope Gregory known which features dragons. Note that in XIII, the initiator of the Gregorian calendar Islamic astrology, the head and tail of the reform, where it circles the head of a ram rep- dragon are associated with the constellations resentin the frst oint of ries n hence Gemini and Sagittarius, respectively. This is shows the restitution of a stable calendar. not what is usually found on astrolabes where In the Latin West, the myth of the moon-swal- the most usual arrangement is to have the lowing dragon was part of the Islamic astro- head near Sagittarius/Scorpio and the tail in nomical heritage that was imported through Capricorn. There is an Arabic astrolabe with Moorish Africa and Al Andalus and translated astrological symbols and tables, by ‘Abd al- into Latin in the program loosely known as rm lir te 122 in for ut Fig. 5 (a) The astrolabe ‘Caius B’ (#301), the Convivencia.23 The most widely read the ends of its Capricornian ring are decorated front. Below (b) the dragon. Photos by the Latin astronomical writer of the late 13th cen- 21 with geometric shapes rather than dragons. author, courtesy of the Master and Fellows of tury (and later) was Johannes de Sacro Bosco There is one astrolabe with Hebrew lettering, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. (c.1195–c.1256) and a copy of his Computus no. 4 in Table 1, but this is likely to be from shos ust such fure (i. ). ere the the Catalan region of the Iberian peninsula Another image of dragons which might be ‘serpent’ is continuously circling the eclip- where the translation of Arabic manuscripts thouht to he inuence strole esin tic. his symol oul ft uite ell ith the into Latin often proceeded with the help of has a very early beginning; it is the ancient dragons on the Capricornian rings of astro- Jewish scholars.22 symbol of the Ouroboros where a dragon (or

4 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) Fig. 7 The Ouroboros on the 1582 papal medal of Gregory XIII. It surrounds the head of a ram for Aries and thus celebrates the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.

Fig. 6 (a) The Vasa Vescovali in the British Museum, Fig. 8 An illustration from Sacrobosco’s Computus, BL Harley MS 3735 1950,0725.1. Below (b) the lid showing the ‘planet’ of the eclipse f.32v. Between 1264 and 1293. Courtesy of the Trustees of the British dragons. Copyright of the Trustees of the British Museum. Library. labes, lying just outside the ecliptic circle, but position and although sometimes the tip of the been annotated by the original scribe with the nowhere is this made explicit. tail is asymmetrical compared to the head, it is words caput and cauda serpientis.26 These often necessary to use a separate star pointer words appear against the stars Calbalacrab Sacrobosco also had the caput and cauda dra- rather than the tip of the tail to indicate Dene- and Liedideneb respectively and refer to the conis fure this time ith to hes sho- balgedi or Liedideneb (Cauda Capricornus two parts of Ptolemy’s constellation Serpens. ing the causes of a lunar eclipse in his most Cap) for the ‘tail of the sea-goat’. When the This was the only ancient constellation to be famous work, Tractatus de Sphaera (Fig. 9). head and tail of the dragon are in the other divided into two non-contiguous parts, being The head and tail of astrolabe dragons often confurtion or there re to hes it e- serte y the fure of the o Ophiuchus, incorporate star pointers. When the head is in comes een more iffcult to fn loicl the serpent-bearer. A much later drawing of the most common right hand position, the tip connection to the stars. Thus it seems that the the constellations is shown in Fig. 11. This of its extended tongue is often used to point to dragon is merely being used as convenient then is a clear indication that the astrolabe Cor Scorpionis ( Sco, modern Antares) but it points on the rete strapwork for the base of dragons are intended to point to the general is iffcult to see lin eteen the hert of the star pointers. positions of the two parts of the constella- the scorpion’ and a dragon. This is in contrast tion Serpens. Kunitzsch points to several ex- Paul Kunitzsch has discussed early manu- to the use of a dog’s head as a rebus for the amples: most of these are included in Table 1 scripts of Ascelinus’ star list (his Type III) star Alhabor (Sirius, the Dog Star) or birds but he also lists the drawing of a rete in the which have annotations which he consid- for Corvus (the Raven) and Wega (Altair, the 11th century MS Vat. Regin. 598 f.120r al- ers resolves the problem.24 One copy of the Eagle) mentioned earlier. For the left-hand though here there are two heads and no tail. table, described by Charles Burnett25 and osition most commonly the til it is iff- There also remains the fact that the astrolabe hich tes to the secon or thir urter of cult to fn relent riht str in the riht fures re clerly dracones and not serpentii the 11th century, is shown in Fig. 10: it has

Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) 5 origins, with only partial success. It is neces- many centuries – a famous merchant’s hall sary to take a much wider view of the cos- (now named Dragon Hall) features a carved mos where, in the medieval mind, everything wooden dragon in the roof spandrel’s (see had a religious dimension and God (and the Fig. 13) and even in the late 19th century St Church) was the centre of all aspects of life George’s Day (23 April) was celebrated by and ruled everything from architecture to nat- a procession led by a model of ‘Snap’ the ural philosophy, including astronomy. dragon.33 Other images of St George with his dragon abound locally, including a carved One of the most common dragons in litera- roof boss in the cloisters of Norwich Cathe- ture, at least before J.R.R. Tolkien, is that as- dral and also as part of the monumental brass sociated with St George.28 Although he was a for Sir Hugh Hastings (c. 1307–1347) in Els- omn offcer of ree escent ho lie in ing Church, Norfolk.34 the 4th century and was venerated as a saint from the 5th century onwards, the story of St There is stone dragon on the Ethelbert Gate, George and the Dragon is very much later, not leading into the cathedral and priory pre- being introduced until Jacobus de Voragine’s cinct in Norwich, which may have a direct famous hagiographic Golden Legends in c. relence to the frst ernce of rons 1260.29 Although St George had been a popu- on astrolabe retes. In 1272 there was a vio- lar saint in England since at least the time of lent uprising by the townspeople against the Edward I, he was not the ‘patron saint’ of the monks of the Benedictine Priory which led to country until much later, presaged by Edward parts of the cathedral, including the old Saxon III taking him as the patron of the Knights of Ethelbert Gate, being burnt down. The King Fig. 9 The causes of eclipses illustrated by the Garter at Windsor Castle in 1348, when (Henry III) and then the Pope had to be called the use of caput and cauda draconis from a George’s persona as a chivalrous knight made in, resulting in 30 of the townspeople being copy of Sacrobosco’s De Sphaera Mundi, him n iel furehe. he meiel im- hung and the whole city excommunicated. (1250-60; England or Paris). The New York e of the ron s tht of the ersonifc- The rebuilding work, including the cloisters Public Library Digital Collections, MssCol tion of evil and so the killing of a dragon by and the Gate, took many decades, being partly 2557; MA 69. f.32. an heroic knight was the epitome of the tri- delayed by the Black Death. On the spandrels and that sometimes the heads and tails are re- umph of good over evil and thus much used of the Ethelbert Gate, completed c. 1316, a 30 versed and associated with the wrong stars. In in religious imagery. One area of the coun- fure ith sor is on one sie ttcin addition, there are no extant astrolabes with try where St George was already the patron dragon on the other (Fig. 14). The stonework th dragons until at least two centuries after these saint by the beginning of the 14 century was is a faithful reproduction of the medieval Type III manuscripts: star table Types VI and England’s second city, Norwich, and the sur- original, but the original head of the dragon 35 VIII27 which were used for the construction of rounding area. Painted images of him on me- is preserved in the cathedral store. Note that dragon-bearing astrolabes never have similar dieval rood screens still exist (see Fig. 12 for the knight St George carried a lance in his annotations. a splendid example in Filby All Saints church) initial battle with the dragon but later used a in at least three churches in the area31, often sword to behead it. Often, it is the archangel Non-astronomical Origins – The accompanied by images of two other dragon- St ichel ho is seen ith sor fht- Norwich Connection killing saints, St Michael the archangel and St ing a similar-looking dragon. The meaning of Previous attempts to explain the appearance Margaret of Antioch, both of whom had cults the Ethelbert dragon is a clear warning to the 32 of dragons on astrolabes have taken an en- in the area. townspeople of Norwich not to rebel against God’s selected clergy again. tirely astronomical/astrological view of their St George remained popular in Norwich for

Fig. 10 Ascelinus’ star table with, appended on the right, the Fig 11 A drawing of the constellations Serpens and Serpentarius (also references to Caput and Cauda Serpentii. Note the use of Roman known as Ophiuchus) by Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687). numerals for the star positions. BL, MS Add. 17808, f.85r. Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Library.

6 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) The astrolabe known as Caius B (Fig. 5, no. 3 in Table 1) has been shown almost certainly to have belonged to Walter of Elveden (a Norfolk town) who was a Cambridge University stu- ent in the frst urter of the 14th century and the writer of a Kalendarium, in 1327.36 Walter went on to become Bishop Bateman’s vicar of Norwich and, as executor to both the Bishop and their mutual friend Edmund Gonville, to be largely responsible for the foundation of both Gonville Hall (later Gonville & Caius College) Fig. 14 Ethelbert Gate, Norwich Cathedral and Trinity Hall in Cambridge. The astrolabe, Precinct: (a) general view, (b) the original which has a single plate designed and labelled early-14th century head of the dragon, for Norwich, looks to be the work of more than removed in the 1967 renovation (photo one hand and the rete, which shows rather am- courtesy Roland B Harris, Norwich ateur workmanship, includes strapwork which Cathedral Archaeologist). matches the shape of the arches in the Norwich Cathedral cloisters, then under construction.37 I would now like to suggest that it was the recently-constructed Ethelbert Gate which in- spired the inclusion of a dragon’s head on the rete. If this hypothesis is correct, the inclusion of rons uicly sre to other nlish s- trolabes, becoming almost standard by the end of the century. Note that the diagrams in manuscripts of Chaucer’s famous Treatise on the Astrolabe often include dragons though there is no explicit mention of them in the text.38 Fig. 12 St George killing the dragon, The inclusion of dragons next spread to Italy, medieval rood screen in All Saints’ where several city-states had a close trading church, Filby near Norwich. He can relationship with England and had rulers who be identifed as St George by the white were friendly with England’s Plantagenet rul- surcoat with a red cross and by his use of ers. There was a regular interchange of gifts at a lance. the highest courtly levels which, it seems included Fig. 15 The coat of arms of the Visconti astrolabes.39 One possible family, rulers on Milan throughout the reason why the dragon 14th century. Seen here on the archbishop’s (or serpent) emblem was palace in Piazza Duomo in Milan, Italy. so popular on Italian as- It is blazoned ‘argent, an azure biscione trolabes might be that it [serpent] in the act of consuming a human’. appears on the coat of (Wikimedia Commons). arms of the Visconti family who were the rulers of clearly individuals, there are some cases where Milan throughout the 14th a group of astrolabes have a very similar de- century and beyond – see sign of what might be regarded as a ‘species’ Fig. 15. of dragon and these are likely to be evidence of a workshop making a series of instruments, Dragon Species perhaps over many years, to the same basic esin. he frst instnce of this is the n- Fig. 13 The carved dragon, c.1430, in the Dragon Hall, Not all dragons are creat- lish ‘Chaucerian’ astrolabes40, made towards Norwich. Note the detailed appearance. Photo courtesy of e eul. lthouh mny the end of the 14th and into the 15th centuries. Dave Guttridge, Photo Unit, Dragon Hall Heritage Volunteers. of the dragon designs are

Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) 7 Fig. 17 Dragons from the ‘Tomba Group’ astrolabes. Top row: Ox 41468 and Palazzo Madama 922. Bottom row: Tomba B 4515 Milan and NMM AST 590. For OX picture © History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. The other pictures are by the author and Domenico Inaudi, with the permission of the owners.

Fig. 16 Dragons’ heads from English Chaucerian astrolabes, including Fig. 18 Dragons heads from Falconi astrolabes. Left: Koelliker variants. Top row: BM 1326 and *Oxford Painswick. Middle row: BM collection As 010. Right: Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (Milan) 1009 ‘Chaucerian’ and Koelliker/Tomba. Bottom row: *Oxford ‘Chaucerian’ (unsigned). and ‘Caius B’. *© History of Science Museum, University of Oxford.

hese rons he uite lre hes n re These are rather an odd shape with a recessed were totally absent – anything Gothic was characterised by their ears which are sepa- lower jaw which deviates from the classical distinctly out of date.45 rated from the rest of the head by a pierced medieval shape. Their origin can be seen to The terminations of the Capricornian ring do hole (see Fig. 16). The modelling is gener- have developed from that on an astrolabe cry out for some sort of shaping or decoration ally excellent. Slight variants suggest that made in 1462 in Urbino but unfortunately sto- so if a dragon is not used, makers sometimes either different workers in the workshop had len from the Musée Départmental, Moulins look for other features. Pure decoration is their own versions or perhaps another English (Allier), France in 1977 (see Fig. 19, no. 25 possible with the foliate termination on Re- workshop was copying the design. in Table 1).44 A very similar example, though giomontanus’ 1462 astrolabe for Bessarion al- smaller and with inferior workmanship, is in a A different species of dragon can be found though even here there may be hidden mean- private collection (no. 28). on a group of astrolabes which are thought to ing.46 Other modelled shapes include the pair have been made in Italy (just possibly Milan) Dragon Extinction and Beyond of hands on a Sicilean(?) astrolabe in Oxford at about the same period as the Chaucerian Falcono’s workshop was operating in the or even the pair of elephants’ heads on an In- 41 47 ones. Tullio Tomba ientife some of these early years of the 16th century and his astro- dian astrolabe (Fig. 21). astrolabes but others have since been found labes represent the latest to have had dragons Dragons do occasionally appear on an astro- and are currently being studied further.42 on them. he irms in ohnn Stoefers labe in locations other than on the rete. The They share a number of identifying features, widely-read Elucidatio Fabricæ Ususque As- most famous example is on the back of the not ust the rons hich re uite smll trolabii, printed in 1564, includes an image of great Sloane astrolabe where, rather than be- compared to the English species and have a a rete (Fig. 20) which has a dragon, but the ing purely decorative, they have important ‘cricked neck’ (Fig. 17). This design evolved feeling is that this is merely for tradition rath- symbolic and didactic purposes.48 Another later into third species of dragon which can er than with any real meaning. On the real as- case is a supposedly Italian Gothic astrolabe, be recognised (Fig. 18) as coming from the trolabes of the same Renaissance period, par- now in Nuremberg, which has pairs of drag- workshop of Falcono (or Falconi) of Berga- ticularly from the Louvain workshops which 43 ons in bas-relief on the throne and underneath mo – some of whose astrolabes are signed. became the acknowledged leaders, dragons

8 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) Fig. 19 (a) The 1462 Urbino astrolabe stolen from Moulins, France. Photograph courtesy of the History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. Right: (b) the dragon.

the sho sure these he yet to e ro- erly explained.49 In conclusion, dragons on medieval astrolabes convey much more information about the origins of the instruments and their uses than has previously been appreciated. Further study will no doubt produce more insight into these fascinating and enigmatic artefacts. Acknowledgements A great many people assisted in the research for this article for which I am very grateful. They include Azucena Pérez; Richard Mat- thew; Dave Guttridge and Mary Bradford (Dragon Hall Norwich Heritage Volunteers); Seb Falk (Cambridge University, with thanks for useful discussions and much help with Latin manuscripts); David A. King for his in- sights into Islamic astrolabe and general information. Roland B Harris, (Norwich Cathedral Archaeologist) and Gudrun Warren (Norwich Cathedral Librarian). Lucy Blaxland and Lee Macdonald at the Oxford Museum of the His- tory of Science; Anthony Turner; Domenico Inaudi, Irene Brightmer and Fiona Vincent for astronomical advice.

Fig. 21 Elephants on an astrolabe from Jaipur, commissioned by the Indian Maharaja Manna Lala in 1836. Currently on Fig. 20 Drawing of a rete from Johannes Stoeffer’s lucitio ric susue strolii view in the Herschel Museum, Bath (on loan one of the last appearances of a dragon. from the Science Museum Group).

Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) 9 Table 1. A list of medieval astrolabes which feature dragons on the circumferential ring of the rete

No Owner/Inventory IIL/ Diam Type Date Left Position Capricornus/ Right Position Scorpionis/ CCA¶ mm Aquarius* Sagittarius* 1 BM 1909 0617.1 #291 132 Chaucerian 1326 Tail Cor Corni Head Alacrab 2 BM ‘Sloane’ SL #290 462 Quatrefoil c.1326 Head (Denebalgedi) Tail Cor Scorpionis MathInst.54 3 Caius Coll Cambs, #301 88 Chaucerian variant c. 1326 Tail ?Denebalgedi Head Cor ‘B’ 4 Adler Planetarium #159 155 Quatrefoil Hebrew C14a Head – Head – M-20a 5 Sci Mus Tsvi Herz #293 150 Quatrefoil c. 1340 Tail Cauda Head COR 1880-26 6 OxMHS ‘Baillie’s #294 135 Quatrefoil 1330s Tail DENEBAL- Head COR SCOR? rete’ 45133 GEDI 7 GNM WI.6 #548 144 Mixed Tail CAVILLA Head - 8 NMM AST0590 Quatrefoil Tail (Libe) Head (Cor Scor) 9 BM ‘Chaucerian’ #298 123.4 Chaucerian c. 1410 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab 1914, 0219.1 10 Whipple Wh.1264 #4752 295 Quatrefoil c. 1340 Tail DENEBAL- Removed (Alacrab) GEDI 11 BM Blakene BM #292 218 Quatrefoil 1342 Head Libideneb Head Calbalacrab 1853, 1104.1 12 OxMHS Painswick #299 122 Chaucerian c. 1370 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab 47869 13 OxMHS #4755 155 Chaucerian c. 1380 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab ‘Chaucerian’ 49359 14 Galileo (Tomba/ #4521 145 Chaucerian c.1390 Tail Denebalged Head Alacrab Koeliker) 3931 15 Smithsonian #304 145 Chaucerian c.1450 Tail erased? Head - ‘Parnel’s astrolabe’ 316758 16 Smithsonian ‘drag- #2006 127.5 Chaucerian C15 Head denebalgedi Head alacrab ons/dogs’ 17 OxMHS 47615 #2043 140 Quatrefoil Head (DENEBAL- Tail COR SCORPI- GEDI) ONIS 18 OxMHS 41468 #168 152 c. chaucerian Head LIBEDEDEN- Tail COR SCOR EB 19 Innsbruck inv. no. #4546 254 c. chaucerian c.1390 Tail (Denebalgedi) Head Alacrab 2957, U215 20 Turin (Tomba A. #3203 222 Quatrefoil C14 Tail (LIBIDINEP) Head (COR) Palazzo Madama 0922/b) 21 Koelliker, Milan #4515 158 Quatrefoil C14 Tail (Denebal) Head Cor As 019. (Tomba B)b 22 Milan Pinacoteca #4557 245 ere utrefoil c. 1500 Head Cauda Capri- Tail Cor Scorpionis Ambrosiana, 1009 corni [Falconi]c 23 Koelliker As 010 225 ere utrefoil 1505 Head none Tail COR (Falconi)d SCORPIONIS 24 Munich Deutsches #621 105 Latin/Hebrew Museumee 25 Moulins Stolen, #4506 Regiom’ type 1462 Head – Tail? (COR S) photos MHSf 26 Private collector, #4556 258 Cardinal hat c.1300 Broken DENEB KAI- Tail COR SCOR England TOZ 27 Vincenzo Danti’s #171 uniue c. 1490 Head none Head unnamed astrolabeg 28 Private collector, – c. 90 Hartmann type c. 1500? Tail none Head none France

10 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) Notes to Table 1 Notes and References 1932), pp. 322-325. No Owner/Inventory IIL/ Diam Type Date Left Position Capricornus/ Right Position Scorpionis/ 1. ‘Hic sunt dracones’ (here be dragons) is the 12. Owen Gingerich, ‘Zoomorphic Astro- CCA¶ mm Aquarius* Sagittarius* ¶ IIL = International Instrument List: CCA = apocryphal inscription supposedly found on labes’ note 2. 1 BM 1909 0617.1 #291 132 Chaucerian 1326 Tail Cor Corni Head Alacrab Computer Checklist of Astrolabes. early globes and taken by Silke Ackermann as 13. The BM 1326 astrolabe is inv. no. 1909 2 BM ‘Sloane’ SL #290 462 Quatrefoil c.1326 Head (Denebalgedi) Tail Cor Scorpionis the title for her introduction to the recent book 0617.1 ILL #291. MathInst.54 * Names in brackets means that the star osefn oriuerris hrles Burnett pointer is separate from the tongue/tip of Silke Ackermann and Ryan Szpiech, eds, As- 14. Louise Cochrane, Charles Burnett, Ad- 3 Caius Coll Cambs, #301 88 Chaucerian variant c. 1326 Tail ?Denebalgedi Head Cor tail. elard of Bath. The First English Scientist, ‘B’ trolabes in Medieval Cultures (Leiden: Brill, – no star name given. 2019). DOI:10.1163/9789004387867. (Bth Bth oyl iterry n Scientifc In- 4 Adler Planetarium #159 155 Quatrefoil Hebrew C14a Head – Head – stitution, 1994, revised 2013). M-20a a. Mensing-20, with Hebrew lettering. Web- 2. Owen Gingerich, ‘Zoomorphic Astrolabes: ster & Webster, following Bernstein, date Arabic star names enter Europe’, in David A. 15. C. Philipp E. Nothaft, Walcher of Mal- 5 Sci Mus Tsvi Herz #293 150 Quatrefoil c. 1340 Tail Cauda Head COR vern. De Lunationibus and De Dracone. 1880-26 this astrolabe to “c.1550” which is about two King and George Saliba, eds, From Deferent centuries too late, showing the great fallacy to Equant: A volume of studies in the history Study, Edition, Translation and Commentary, 6 OxMHS ‘Baillie’s #294 135 Quatrefoil 1330s Tail DENEBAL- Head COR SCOR? of dating an astrolabe by its First Point of of science in the ancient and medieval Near (Turnhout: Brepols, 2017). rete’ 45133 GEDI Aries. East in honor of E.S. Kennedy, Annals of 16. J. Davis, ‘Fit for a King. Decoding the great 7 GNM WI.6 #548 144 Mixed Tail CAVILLA Head - b. “Tomba B” see Gerard Turner, Collection the New York Academy of Science, Vol. 500 Sloane astrolabe and other English astrolabes 8 NMM AST0590 Quatrefoil Tail (Libe) Head (Cor Scor) Koelliker (as #25), pp. 34-37. (1987), pp. 89-104. Reprinted in The Eye of ith utrefoil retes hter 9 (. 310 Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (New 56) in Astrolabes in Medieval Cultures osef- 9 BM ‘Chaucerian’ #298 123.4 Chaucerian c. 1410 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab c. Pinacoteca Ambrosiana [Falconi], Settala 1914, 0219.1 York: American Institute of Physics, 1993), na Rodriguez-Arribas, Charles Burnett, Silke Collection, see Tullio Tomba, ‘Gli Astrolabi pp. 81–101. Ackermann and Ryan Szpiech, eds (Leiden: 10 Whipple Wh.1264 #4752 295 Quatrefoil c. 1340 Tail DENEBAL- Removed (Alacrab) Della Collezione Settala Nella Pinacoteca Brill, (2019). DOI:10.1163/9789004387867. GEDI 3. Azucena Hernández Pérez, ‘El Dragón En Ambrosiana’, Atti della Fondazione Geor- Previously published in Medieval Encoun- 11 BM Blakene BM #292 218 Quatrefoil 1342 Head Libideneb Head Calbalacrab gio Ronchi, Anno XXXIII (1978), N. 4, pp. El Astrolabio’, Revista Digital de Iconografía Medieval, 7/13 (2015), pp. 19–31. ters, Special issue on ‘Astrolabes in Medi- 1853, 1104.1 636–647. eval Cultures’, 23 (2017), pp. 311–354. DOI: 12 OxMHS Painswick #299 122 Chaucerian c. 1370 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab d. Falconi 1505 see G. L’E. Turner, Strumen- 4. Sigmund Eisner (ed.), A Treatise on the 10.1163/15700674-12342250. 47869 ti Scientifci del Rinascimento Italiano (Ital- Astrolabe (Oklahoma: Variorum, University of Oklahoma Press, 2002). 17. J. Davis and M. Lowne: ‘An Early Eng- 13 OxMHS #4755 155 Chaucerian c. 1380 Tail Denebalgedi Head Alacrab in enissnce Scientifc Instruments (u- lish Astrolabe at Gonville & Caius Col- ‘Chaucerian’ 49359 rin: Collezione Koelliker’ 2005), pp. 26–29. 5. John D. North, Chaucer’s Universe (Ox- lege, Cambridge, and Walter of Elveden’s 14 Galileo (Tomba/ #4521 145 Chaucerian c.1390 Tail Denebalged Head Alacrab and G. L’E Turner, ‘Two Early Renaissance ford: Clarendon Press; 1988). In the caption Kalendarium’. J. History Astronomy, 46 Koeliker) 3931 Astrolabes by Falcono of Bergamo’, in of Fig. 11 (p. 59) which shows the rete from (3), pp. 257–290, (August 2015). DOI: 15 Smithsonian #304 145 Chaucerian c.1450 Tail erased? Head - Musa Musaei. Studies on Scientifc Instru- the copy of the Treatise ms Bodleian Rawlin- 10.1177/0021828615590336. ments and Collections in Honour of Mara son D. 913, he describes the stars at the head ‘Parnel’s astrolabe’ 18. G. Azarpar & A.D. Kilmer, ‘The Eclipse 316758 Miniati, edited by M. Berretta, P. Galluzzi & and the tail of the dragon and makes the as- C. Triarico (Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 2003), sertion that because the outer ring represents Dragon on an Arabic Frontispiece-Miniature. 16 Smithsonian ‘drag- #2006 127.5 Chaucerian C15 Head denebalgedi Head alacrab With a note on the Babylonian mythologi- ons/dogs’ pp. 53–62. Capricorn, the head might represent that of a ot hich efes its ernce. cal explanation of the lunar eclipse by A.D. 17 OxMHS 47615 #2043 140 Quatrefoil Head (DENEBAL- Tail COR SCORPI- e. Details from personal notes of Prof. David Kilmer’, J. American Oriental Society, 98 (4) GEDI) ONIS A. King. 6. Paul Kunitzsch, ‘A Note on Ascelinus’ (1978), pp. 363-374. Table of Astrolabe Stars’, Annals of Sci- 18 OxMHS 41468 #168 152 c. chaucerian Head LIBEDEDEN- Tail COR SCOR f. Stolen from Musée Départmental, Mou- 19. The Vasa Vescovali can be seen online EB lins (Allier), France in 1977. Described in ence, 57 (2000), pp. 181-185. Reprinted in P. Kunitzsch, Stars and Numbers. Astronomy at https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/ 19 Innsbruck inv. no. #4546 254 c. chaucerian c.1390 Tail (Denebalgedi) Head Alacrab David A. King, ‘The Star-names on Three collection_online/collection_object_details. th and Mathematics in the Medieval Arab and 2957, U215 14 Century Astrolabes’, in Sic Itur Ad As- aspx?objectId=237090&partId=1. A full de- tra. Studien zur Geschichte der Mathematik Western Worlds, (Ashgate-Variorum; 2004). 20 Turin (Tomba A. #3203 222 Quatrefoil C14 Tail (LIBIDINEP) Head (COR) scription of its astrological interpretation is und Naturwissenschaften, edited by Menso Kunitzsch illustrates his point with a photo- Palazzo Madama graph of the Tomba-Koelliker astrolabe rete. Willy Hartner, ‘The Vaso Vescovali In The 0922/b) Folkerts & Richard Lorch, (Wiesbaden: British Museum: A Study On Islamic Astro- Harrassowitz Verlag, 2000), pp. 305–333. 7. See, for example, David A. King, In Syn- logical Iconography’, Kunst des Orients, Vol. 21 Koelliker, Milan #4515 158 Quatrefoil C14 Tail (Denebal) Head Cor Inscribed ‘1462 VRBINI K’ and probably chrony with the Heavens, vol. 2 pt. 2 Instru- As 019. (Tomba 9, H. 1/2 (1973/74), pp. 99-130. the model for the intarsias decorating the ments of Mass Calculation, (Leiden: Brill, B)b studiolo in the palace of the Archduke Fed- 2014) and David A King and Gerard L’E. 20. Stefano Carboni, Following the Stars: Im- 22 Milan Pinacoteca #4557 245 ere utrefoil c. 1500 Head Cauda Capri- Tail Cor Scorpionis erico da Montefeltro of Urbino (built 1476) Turner, Astrolabes from Renaissance Europe, ages of the Zodiac in Islamic Art, (New York: Ambrosiana, 1009 corni – see David A. King, ‘The Astrolabe Depict- (Farnham, Ashgate; 2011). Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997) the cata- [Falconi]c logue of an exhibition held 4 Feb to 31 Aug ed in the Intarsia of the Studiolo of Archduk 8. A discussion on the literary sources of 23 Koelliker As 010 225 ere utrefoil 1505 Head none Tail COR Federico in Urbino’, in The Science of the 1997. (Falconi)d SCORPIONIS dragons in both the East and West is Charles Dukedom of Urbino, edited by Flavio Ve- Gould and others, The Dragon, (London, 21. History of Science Museum, University of 24 Munich Deutsches #621 105 Latin/Hebrew trano, (Accademia Raffaello, Urbino, 2002), Unicorn Bookshop; 1977) which includes ex- Oxford, inv. no. 37148. The back has scales Museumee pp. 101–139. tracts from Edward Topsell’s 1658 The His- for the lunar mansions and zodiac symbols 25 Moulins Stolen, #4506 Regiom’ type 1462 Head – Tail? (COR S) g. Piervincenzo Dani dei Rinaldi (Peru- tory of Serpents. etc. photos MHSf gia, named after Dane Alighieri, d. 1512). 9. Jane Geddes, ‘The Medieval Decorative 22. V.B. Mann, T.F. Glick & J.D. Dodds, eds, 26 Private collector, #4556 258 Cardinal hat c.1300 Broken DENEB KAI- Tail COR SCOR Described in Gunther, pp. 322-325. Was in Ironwork’, chapter 21 (pp. 431-442) in Nor- Convivencia. Jews, Muslims, and Christians England TOZ Spitzer Colln, then Hamburg Museum of wich Cathedral (note 32 below). in Medieval Spain, (New York: George Bra- 27 Vincenzo Danti’s #171 uniue c. 1490 Head none Head unnamed Arts and Crafts. Gunther describe the Cap- ziller, 1992). See especially ‘Science in Me- 10. Riches, St George (note 28), pp. 154-55. astrolabeg ricornian ring as having the ‘heads of two dieval Spain: The Jewish Contribution in the Context of Convivencia, pp. 82-111. 28 Private collector, – c. 90 Hartmann type c. 1500? Tail none Head none snakes whose branching and intertwined 11. Robert W.T. Gunther, Astrolabes of the France tails point out extra-zodiacal stars’. World, 2 vols. (London: The Holland Press, 23. Ibid.

Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019) 11 24. Paul Kunitzsch, ‘A Note on Ascelinus’ after contracting dysentery in France on the baden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2000), pp. 305– Table of Astrolabe Stars’, Annals of Science, Crécy campaign. 333. Inscribed ‘1462 VRBINI K’ it is prob- 57 (2000), pp. 181-185. Republished in Paul 35. See Atherton et al, eds, Norwich Ca- ably the model for the intarsias decorating the Kunitzsch, Stars and Numbers. Astronomy thedral. Church, City and Diocese, 1096- studiolo in the palace of the Archduke Fed- and Mathematics in the Medieval Arab and 1996 (London: Hambledon Press, 1996). erico da Montefeltro of Urbino (built 1476) Western Worlds, (Aldershot: Ashgate Vari- Ch. 10, ‘The Gothic Sculpture’ by Veronica – see David A. King, ‘The Astrolabe Depicted orum, 2004), Ch. XXI. Sekules. The original dragon head in Caen in the Intarsia of the Studiolo of Archduke 25. Charles Burnett, ‘King Ptolemy and Al- stone is in Norwich Cathedral store, inv. no. Federico in Urbino’, in The Science of the chandreus the philosopher: the earliest texts M0038. Dukedom of Urbino, edited by Flavio Vetra- on the astrolabe and Arabic astrology at no, (Accademia Raffaello, Urbino, 2002), pp. 36. John Davis and Michael Lowne, ‘An 101–139. Fleury, Micy and Chartres’, Annals of Sci- Early English Astrolabe at Gonville & Caius ence, 55 (1998), pp. 329-368. Republished College, Cambridge, and Walter of Elveden’s 45. Koenraad van Cleempoel, De Diversis in Burnett, Arabic into Latin in the Middle Kalendarium’, Journal for the History of As- Aeribus. A catalogue raisonné of scientifc Ages. The Translators and their Intellectual tronomy, 46 (3), 2015, pp. 257–290. instruments from the Louvain School, 1530 to and Social Context (Aldershot: Ashgate Vari- 1600, (Turnhout: Brepols, 2002). orum, 2009). 37. Ibid, Fig 9 shows the close match of the central Y-strut with the double-ogee arch of 46. D.A. King and G. L’E. Turner, ‘The Astro- 26. A second manuscript copy with simi- Bay 18 of the cloisters, whose boss illustrates labe Presented by Regiomontanus to Cardinal lar annotations but by a different scribe is the beheading of St John the Baptist. Bessarion in 1462’ in Astrolabes from Medi- rnches Biliotheue unicile S 23. eval Europe, note 7. 38. S. Eisner, ed, A Treatise on the Astrolabe 27. Paul Kunitzsch, Typen von Sternverseich- (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 47. The Indian astrolabe made in Jaipur for nissen in astronomischen Handshriften des 2002). Maharaja Manna Lala is currently on loan zehnten bis vierzehnten Jahrhunderts (Wies- from the Science Museum Group and on dis- baden, 1966). 39. J Davis, ‘An Early-Fourteenth-Century play at the Herschel Museum in Bath. The English Astrolabe in Milan and Contempo- Oxford Sicilian astrolabe is inv. no. 50769 in 28. For the cult and history of St George see rary Anglo-Italian Politics’, In preparation. Samantha Riches, St George. Hero, Martyr the History of Science Museum, University of and Myth (Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2000) 40. J. Davis, ‘The “Chaucerian” Astro- Oxford. and also Jonathan Good, The Cult of St labe in the British Museum: A Reassess- 48. Davis, Fit for a King, note 16. ment of Its Dating and Ownership’, Jour- George in Medieval England, (Woodbridge: 49. The astrolabe is in the Germanisches Na- Boydell Press, 2009). nal for the History of Astronomy, 50 (2), pp. 121–154, (May 2019). DOI: https://doi. tionalmuseum, Nuremberg, inv. no. WI 21 and 29. Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea or org/10.1177/0021828619845585. is shown in Focus Behaim Globus (Nurem- Golden Legend. Voragine (1231–98) was berg: GNM, 1993) vol II, pp. 576-578. rchisho of eno etife 19. is 41. T. Tomba, ‘Tre Astrolabi Latini, del XIV Secolo, Conservati in Italia (Three Latin four- Author’s email address: Legenda Aurea exists in about 900 manu- john.davis@ btinternet.com scripts and achieved a dominance in west- teenth-century astrolabes preserved in Italy), ern hagiographical literature. Between 1470 Estratto da: Rassegni di Studi e di Notizie and 1530 it was the most-often printed book Volume XX –Anno XXII (Vol. 20 (1996), pp. in Europe. A paraphrased translation of this 357-371). legend is in Gould, The Dragon (note 8) pp. 42. John Davis, Bert Degenaar, Arie de Ruiter 51-58. and Rob van Gent, ‘A Previously Unrecorded 30. In the bible, (especially Revelations 12) Medieval Latin Astrolabe and Evidence for the re ron is ientife s Stn. See a Mid-fourteenth Century Instrument Work- http://biblelight.net/dragon.htm shop’, In preparation. 31. he churches ith rticulrly fne mei- 43. See G. L’E. Turner, Strumenti Scienti- eval paintings still surviving are Somerleyton fci del Rinascimento Italiano (Italian Renais- St Mary, Filby All Saints and Ranworth St snce Scientifc Instruments (urin ollei- Helens. one Koelliker, 2005), pp. 26–29. and G. L’E Turner, ‘Two Early Renaissance Astrolabes 32. Gould, The Dragon (note 8) p. 36, lists by Falcono of Bergamo’, in Musa Musaei. a number of other Christian saints accredited Studies on Scientifc Instruments and Collec- with dragon-slaying: St Phillip the apostle; St tions in Honour of Mara Miniati, edited by Martha; St Floret; SS Cado, Manet and Paul M. Berretta, P. Galluzzi & C. Triarico (Fi- in Brittany; St Keyne in Cornwall; St Romain renze: Leo S. Olschki, 2003), pp. 53–62. See of Rouen. However, these were not generally also Giancarlo Truffa, ‘Cremona al tempo di venerated in medieval England. Janello Torriani e la produzione di strumenti 33. S. Riches, St George (note 28) pp 128- scientifci . oce i or u- 135, which includes a photograph of the pre- blicazione dell’associazone Italiana Cultori di served dragon ‘Snap’ of c. 19 (.132 f. Orologeria Antica (June 2017). 4.16). 44. Described in David A. King, ‘The Star- American Christmas wireless postcard of 34. The brass also includes Edward III as one names on Three 14th Century Astrolabes’, in c. 1925 refecting the growing popularity of of the surrounin fures Sir uh oul Sic Itur Ad Astra. Studien zur Geschichte der public broadcasting at that time. The Editor undoubtedly have been one of the founding Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften, edited agrees wholeheartedly with the sentiment Garter knights had he not died the year before by Menso Folkerts & Richard Lorch, (Wies- expressed.

12 Bulletin of the Scientifc Instrument Society No. 143 (2019)