Astrolabe

Object Details

• Description

  Astrolabe. A northern instrument fitted with a ring and shackle for suspension, a rete or 'ankabut, three sexpartite tablets, an alidade equipped with sights, a pin and a bolt. Surface decoration chased and engraved; inscription in naskhi script include dedication, signature and date.

• Inscriptions

  The principal inscriptions are as follows:

  a. The "dedication." [Arbc]

  "According to command this was completed [for] al-Khaqan, the honored Sultan (?) of sublime power, Muhammad Khan Bagran. [Personage not identified]."

  b. The signature and date.

  In a cartouche on the back below the Shadow-square: [Arbc]

  "Wrought by 'Abd-al-A'immah 1127" (A.D. 1715).

  c. Engraver: In a small cartouche in the lower center of the border on the back:

  c. Engraver: In a small cartouche in the lower center of the border on the back:

• Provenance

  ?- 1942

  E. S. David, New York, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  From 1942

  National Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from E. S. David, New York [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, indicating that on April 7, 1942, E. S. David left the object at the Freer for examination.

  Elias Solomon David (1891-1969) was a prominent dealer in ancient Near Eastern art. Born in Baghdad, he attended boarding school in Paris, where he first started dealing in art. He moved to New York in 1914 and opened an eponymous gallery for a brief time; thereafter, he operated the business from his home. Museums and institutions around the world acquired works from David, and in 2015 Christie’s sold his collection in two separate “Antiquities” sales. His youngest son William (b. 1933), and his wife Olga Draiggs, donated some 400 ancient Near Eastern objects to the Yale Babylonian Collection in memory of his father and mother, Elias and Nazima (1911-2011).

  [2] See object file for copy of E. S. David invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated March 30, 1942, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on February 17, 1942. This work is part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

  Research updated February 9, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Wonders of Creation, Oddities of Existence: An Exhibition in Celebration of Halley's Comet (February 28, 1986 to October 27, 1986)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

• Previous custodian or owner

  E. S. David (1891-1969)

• Origin

  Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Measuring Device

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1850s

• Name

  David, E. S.

• Topic

  Art, Brass (alloy), Arts of the Islamic World, Forgery, Chasing, Astronomy, Metal-work

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Measuring Device