ANALYZING AND REFLECTING ON AN ART OBJECT - Research Paper Example

Astrolabes Within the Sharjah art gallery there are astrolabes that have been displayed, the astrolabes forms part of the Islamic culture. Astrolabes are devices that were used by the astronomers and navigators; the basic use of these devises was for locating the position and heavenly bodies such as the moon stars and the planets (Turner, 2003). In the Islamic culture astrolabes was used to calculate the Qilba and knowledge of the Salat prayers (King, 1999). The Qibla is the direction that Muslims faces when in prayers during the Salat which is the practice of formal worship in Islam.

The astrolabe in the world of art is a fascinating device that not forms part of the Islamic culture for the functional elements it was designed for but also beauty that radiates from the sight of the way it’s designed. This particular astrolabe in the Sharjah museum is has been given a golden coating. The color of the devise is designed for appealing purposes but also significantly brings out the fact that it was majorly found with royalties. From the history of the devise, some of the astrolabes were designed from precious metals like gold and silver.

These were in most cases found with royal families in the Islamic world (Herlihy, 2012). On the astrolabes are circular shaped with what appears as circular rings at the top of the devises. With these, the astrolabes could be hanged on walls just like the wall clocks. In the museum there are various shapes of the astrolabes, there are also oval shaped astrolabes that were meant intentionally to add to the design (Kennedy, et al, 1991). Another recognizable feature of the astrolabe is the different sizes they were designed on there are the small, medium and he big sized astrolabes.

The variation in the sizes of these devices was meant as to bring out the style when they are mounted on walls from different positions. In their placing, most of the people who possessed these devices were known to place them in such a way that the bigger shaped astrolabes would come in the middle and surrounded with the smaller shaped ones. One of the parts of the astrolabe that is designed for both the functional purpose and additionally to bring out the design is the rete used in them. The rete functionally was used to represent the sky in the device as for this purpose one could then determine the position of the heavenly bodies that it was meant to be used for.

The rete has been inscribed within the devised has been brought out in such patterns that adds to the beauty of this devise. The shapes that have been inscribed in the device can be related to the work of calligraphy writing which was also part of the Islamic culture (Selin, 1997). The inscription here then have been purposefully drawn and inspired by the writings. The weights of the devises vary; this is dependent of the materials that were preferably used as there are some that are made out of heavy metal like brass (Glasse?

and Smith 2001). Some of the astrolabes were designed in such a way that different types of materials were used in the same device. The main body of some of these devises is made from brass with silver inscriptions on them. The feature that is also visible and outstanding is the shape that is meant to be representative to the function the devised was meant for. The devises have all been awarded relatively circular shapes; this is as to bring out the function that they relate to the heavenly bodies.

The moon stars and sun are all circular shaped bodies and the shape of the devises justifies this. In some of the inscriptions which are like projectiles running across the devises, this feature also qualifies for the representative value that it was meant for. The projectiles can be taken as to be representing the rays hat emanates from bodies like the sun and the stars. These projectiles that in these devises double as the rete; which also represent the latitudes of the earth. In the world of art the representative value of the art work is sometime hidden in the features of the components of the art works and can only be brought out by the keen observation and appreciation of the artwork itself.

In the astrolabes this is evident as there are representative components that are in the devices (Chan, et al, 2002). The devises are inscribed with projectile like features that run across the circular surface of these devises. This is relative to the Islamic writing which symbolically can be compared to artwork and tends to have linear strokes throughout the alphabetical designs. Although it was controversial, the word astrolabe was devised using the word ‘lab’, this in Arabic means the sun and black stony places.

The device has been part of history where great astronomers like Ptolemy also used it in the astronomical observations that have been recorded in the Tetrabiblos. This goes to show that from the history of the astrolabe, the devise has been transferred down from different cultures and religion (Webster & Webster, 1998). Various designs have been made including angular scale which was designed and additionally azimuths were added that represented the horizon. In the history of the astrolabe, the first brass astrolabes were used by the Christians before the Muslims in the Latin west (Farg?a?ni?

, & Lorch, 2005). In the modern world there are Astrolabes that came to spread in most of the European and Asian countries. The outstanding feature about the devise is that the technological achievement even to the modern times. The astrolabe functionality will sure last for thousands of years to come being as old as it is. The beauty and design is still striking as undefeatable among the things that were invented along it in the 8th and 7th century BC. Reference Chan, A. K., Clancey, G. K., Loy, H.-C., & International Conference on the History of Science in East Asia. Farg?a?ni?, A. I.-M.

, & Lorch, R. (2005). On the astrolabe. Stuttgart: Steiner. Glasse?, C., & Smith, H. (2001). The new encyclopedia of Islam. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. Herlihy, J. (2012). Islam for our time: Inside the traditional world of Islamic spirituality. S.l.: Xlibris Corp. Kennedy, E. S., Kunitzsch, P., & Lorch, R. (1999). The melon-shaped astrolabe in arabic astronomy. King, D. A. (1999). World maps for finding the direction and distance to Mecca: Innovation and tradition Kennedy, E. S., Kunitzsch, P.

, & Lorch, R. (1999). The melon-shaped astrolabe in arabic astronomy. King, D. A. (1999). World maps for finding the direction and distance to Mecca: Innovation and tradition Turner, G. L. E. (2003). Renaissance astrolabes and their makers. Aldershot [u.a.: Ashgate/Variorum. in Islamic science. Leiden [u.a.: Brill [u.a.. Kennedy, E. S., Kunitzsch, P., & Lorch, R. (1999). The melon-shaped astrolabe in arabic astronomy. King, D. A. (1999). World maps for finding the direction and distance to Mecca: Innovation and tradition Webster, M.

, & Webster, R. S. (1998). Western astrolabes. Chicago, Ill.