‘Extraordinary’: Islamic and Jewish science merge in 11th-century astrolabe

The astrolabe’s engravings show how knowledge was created, shared and developed by Islamic and Jewish scholars living and working side by side. Photograph: Federica Candelato

Almost exactly a year ago, Federica Gigante was preparing a lecture and searching the internet for a portrait of the 17th-century Italian nobleman and collector Ludovico Moscardo when an altogether different image caught her eye.

The historian’s gaze soon snagged on a photo of a metal disc with a ring at the top that was kept in the same Verona museum as Moscardo’s picture.