Illustrated history of design
#astrology #book #sculpture #medieval
July 11, 2023
Kate Moses
All images courtesy of the Library of Congress
Over 2,000 years ago, in Hellenistic Greece, Astrolabe was invented as a kind of analog calculator for deciphering various astronomical observations, surveying regions, calculating latitude and time. This tool, often made of metal, was refined and further developed over the following centuries in the Islamic world and later in Western Europe. By the Middle Ages, this method was being employed by astrologers and some physicians (the latter of whom religious beliefs and medicine were closely intertwined) to determine the courses of planets and their effects. . And in his 16th century, this device was applied in academic fields. Leonhard Tourneiser (aka Thurnaiser, c.1530-96).
Thurnaiser was fascinated by the workings of the universe, and his extensive knowledge earned him a position as an intelligent and miracle doctor at the aristocratic court of Brandenburg, Germany. Despite being accused of being a serious scientist by some of his colleagues because of his interest in alchemy and astrology, he made his discoveries alkydoxa Published in 1569, it contains a collection of astrological predictions and ideas. Six years later he added to this volume ” Astrolabium, It used Volvel, or wheel charts to provide individual horoscopes.
Richly illustrated with hand-coloured plaques engraved by artist Peter Hill, each page depicts a different constellation. Des Menschen Cirkel und Lauff, Or “the human wheel of life”. The spirals, which can be superimposed on each page and rotated relative to each other, contain the positions of the stars and the Baum de Leben, Or “tree of life”. Bound in ornate leather, the book could theoretically have functioned as a sort of medieval Ouija board that allowed users to foresee their own destinies or predict natural disasters.
You can explore dozens more pages of the Library of Congress. websiteanother 16th-century masterpiece that can be read six ways.
#astrology #book #sculpture #medieval
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