It is not easy to determine the provenance of the astrolabe kept in the Lonodon Science Museum : The inscription points to France («Jenvier», «Fevrier» etc.), whereas the latitudes point to England and Holland. This assumption is supported by the engravings «engletiere» and «hollande», which can be found on the front and reverse side of the single tympanum respectively. If one further takes into account that French was the language of the English court in the High Middle Ages, the argument of Francophonie loses weight, especially since the instrument is designed for latitudes between 50° and 52° - which cannot be determined with ultimate precision - which would correspond to the corridor between London and Amsterdam (in contrast, Paris: 48°). A French origin is therefore rather unlikely, the English origin is closer.
The original has a diameter of 151 mm. The Mater has a 2 x 12 hour scale. The instrument has only one insert plate, which is engraved on both sides. The rete has (from the outside to the inside) a French months scale, a latin zodiac scale and a date scale as well as 22 star points, 17 of which are inscribed.
The complete description of the instrument as PDF for download
