A 17th-century Mughal astrolabe from Lahore is heading to auction with a price tag that could reset the market for scientific instruments.
Made in 1612, the brass instrument will be offered at Sotheby’s London on April 29 with an estimate of £1.5 million to £2.5 million ($2 million to $3.4 million). If it reaches the top of that range, it would comfortably surpass the current auction record for an astrolabe: just under £1 million ($1.4 million), paid in 2014 for a 15th-century Ottoman example.
The object is remarkable not only for its age, but for its scale. Weighing nearly 20 pounds and measuring about the size of a large cooking pot, it is one of only two known astrolabes made by the brothers Qa’im Muhammad and Muhammad Muqim, members of a family workshop founded by the royal astronomer of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor. The other known example is in the National Museum of Iraq.
Astrolabes were once essential tools for travelers and scholars, capable of telling time, mapping the stars, and calculating latitude. This one goes further. It records the longitudes and latitudes of 94 cities, marks the positions of 38 major stars, includes the 12 signs of the zodiac, and contains specialized quadrants for trigonometry and solar calculations. Its surface is also richly finished, with calligraphy and floral motifs of tulips and flared petals that identify the brothers’ workshop.
The commission came from Aqa Afzal, a figure who reflected the cosmopolitan reach of the Mughal court under Jahangir. Born in Shiraz, in modern-day Iran, and shaped by the Safavid world, he moved east after losing favor at court in the late 16th century. Over nearly three decades in Mughal service, he held several important posts, including deputy governor of Lahore, where he acquired the astrolabe.
The instrument later belonged to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, the last ruling king of Jaipur, before entering a private collection in London. As one of the largest astrolabes known, it now arrives at auction with both scholarly weight and market ambition — a rare object where astronomy, imperial history, and collecting converge.
