one of the most famous horoscopes from the Islamic world, a stunning 15th C Timurid piece combines artistry, astrology, and geometry
The astrologer assigns one complete sign to each of the 12 houses of life with full interpretation explicitly citing the method of Abu Ma’shar
The astrologer assigns one complete sign to each of the 12 houses of life with full interpretation explicitly citing the method of Abu Ma’shar
the horoscope includes calculating the placement of the planets, the Lots, and a year-by-year break down of the sultan’s life.
You can see in the image above the figure of Venus as a lute player, in its Exaltation Pisces in the 3rd house
You can see in the image above the figure of Venus as a lute player, in its Exaltation Pisces in the 3rd house
the astrologer interpreted this as the sultan being a great patron of the arts.
Horoscopes such as these are stunning collaborative works of art and science and tell us a great deal about the practice of astrology beyond theory
Horoscopes such as these are stunning collaborative works of art and science and tell us a great deal about the practice of astrology beyond theory
they also create a continuity with the practices of their predecessors and later successors.
This astrologer was the grandfather of the famed court astrologer of Ulugh Beg, al-Kashi, who worked at the Great Observatory
This astrologer was the grandfather of the famed court astrologer of Ulugh Beg, al-Kashi, who worked at the Great Observatory
The artwork is stunning and you can see the planets as anthropomorphic figures:
Venus in Pisces, the Sun in Taurus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, and the Moon in Gemini, and Mars in Scorpio
Venus in Pisces, the Sun in Taurus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, and the Moon in Gemini, and Mars in Scorpio
in his interpretation you can see a clear tradition of practice for the astrologer cites his methods and reasons
We see the assigning of the signs to the houses alongside mathematic subdivisions, calculated points known as Arabic lots, the casting of rays, & tables of prediction
We see the assigning of the signs to the houses alongside mathematic subdivisions, calculated points known as Arabic lots, the casting of rays, & tables of prediction
we also see the practice of continuous horoscopy with the use of planetary chronocratorships, progressing one sign per year, revolutions, and directing points
This evidences a continuity of practice from Dorotheus through Mashallah and Abu Ma’shar still in use centuries later
This evidences a continuity of practice from Dorotheus through Mashallah and Abu Ma’shar still in use centuries later
even the use of a wheel for the horoscope rather than a square is significant for it confirms medieval and early modern astrologers of the Islamic world used squares and circles both, something mentioned by Abu Ma’shar
the result is a beautiful fusion of art and science, in continuity with centuries of practice before and after
I’ll be doing an analysis of many of these historical horoscopes both here on twitter and on patreon
(image from the Wellcome collection)
(image from the Wellcome collection)
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