This item is in excellent condition. A very minor abrasion to the centre of the reverse and very minor marks near the silver studs. As viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Engraved in a careful and elegant Maghribi kufic, this simple astrolabe is notable for its&🥂nbsp;remarkably distinctive and elegant throne. The interwoven floral fronds are fitted with four silver studs, with one more inside the shackle. No other Maghribi astrolabe, even from earlier centuries, has such an ornate throne. The suspensory apparatus is clearly original.

The rete has a form typical of late Maghribi astrolabes (for similar examples see Gunther, Astrolabes, Plate LXIV, upper left). The pointers are mainly in the form of hooks, with one on the upper left rim extremely long and curved back on itself. There are pointers for 23 (=5+5+6+7) named stars within the four quadrants starting counter-clockwise from the verna🐓l equinox on the left. The stars represented are:

batn qaytûs / ra's al-ghûl / dabarân / qadam al-jawzâ' / mankib al-jawzâ' //

al-'abûr / ghumaysâ' / rijl al-dubb / shujâ' / al-ghurâb //

al-a'zal / al-râmih / 'unuq al-hayya / al-fakka / qalb al-'aqrab / ra's al-hawwâ' //

[al-wâqi'] (name omitted) / al-[t]â'ir / dhanab al-jady / al-dulfîn / al-ridf / mankib faras / dhanab qaytûs

The name of Altair (correctly, al-tâ'ir) has been inadvertently written as al-sâ'ir (without the vertical stroke on the plosive 't'). On the lower part of the central ring, amidst other star-names, there is the name al-'ayn, "the eye", which does not refer to any star. The purpose of this inclusion is uncleꦍar (but it has nothing to do with magic). There are silver studs decorating the four knobs at the quadrants 💦for rotating the rete.

The back bears a typical solar - calendrical scale inside a double altitude scale for each 5° subdivided for each 1°. The equinox is at March 11. Inside these, in the upper half is a double universal horary quadrant with the seasonal hours numbered 1 to 11, and in the lower half is a double shadow square to base 12, with divisions on the scale labelled for each 2 units subdivided for each single unit. The horizontal markings are labelled al-mabsût (for cotangents) and the vertical ones al-mankûs (for tangents).

The rim of the mater is divided and labelled for each 5° and subdivided for each 1°. The mater itself is devoid꧃ of markings.

There are three plates with standard astrolabic markings, in this case altitude circles for each 5° and azimuth circles for each 10°. On each plate there are special curves (khatt, literally "line"), each fish-boned, for various times of significance in the Islamic day: the prayers at nightfall (al-shafaq and al-fajr), the prayer at sunset (al-maghrib) and sunrise (al-mashriq), midday (al-zawal), and the prayers after midday (al-zuhr) and around mid-afternoon (al-'asr). The inscriptions read "for the latitude of _ where the latitude is _° (li-'ard _ 'arduhu _)". The markings serve:

Makka - 21° / Medina - 25° / Cairo - 3🌱0° / Marrakesh - 31°30' / Fez - 33°40' / Meknes - 34°

On a fourth plate there is a set of markings for the equator (al-mawdi' lâ 'ard lahu, "the place without latitude") and another universal set (li-jamî' al-'urûd, "for all latitudes"), in the tradition of the celebrated Andalusi astronomer Ibn Bâso and common on Maghribi astrolabes from the 14^th century onwards. The twilight c♏urves on the former are at 30° above the horizon, rather than the more appropriate🌞 20°.

The alidade is non-functional, since neither side passes through the centre. The pin and the horse appear to be original.