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Giant 17th Century Astrolabe Fetches Millions at Auction
26 Apr
Summary
- A massive 17th-century brass astrolabe from Jaipur is now for sale.
- This astronomical tool is reportedly the largest of its kind.
- It was created in Lahore by master craftsmen and features Persian and Sanskrit inscriptions.
A magnificent 17th-century brass astrolabe, originating from the royal collection of Jaipur, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on April 29, 2026. This remarkable hand-held astronomical computer is noted for its immense size, with its head of department at Sotheby's suggesting it may be the largest ever created and that it has never been publicly exhibited.
Originally belonging to the royal household of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, the astrolabe was later passed to his wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi, before entering a private collection. Astrolabes, intricate metallic disks, were historically used for timekeeping, celestial mapping, and determining the direction of Mecca, functioning as complex two-dimensional projections of the universe.
