Torquetum, or "Turkish apparatus"

Execution: unknown monogram, W.W. Brass, engraved, punched and gilded. Nuremberg had an outstanding reputation in the 15th and 16th centuries as a maker of scientific instruments that were sold all over Europe. One outstanding masterpiece of this instrument-maker's art is the superbly designed and crafted "Torquetum" by Johannes Praetorius (1537-1616). Developing and making a complex design like this called for the ultimate in skill and precision. It was used to calculate the position of the sun and stars, to measure altitudes on earth, and for astrological work. The Torquetum came into the possession of the city of Nuremberg in 1675, as part of a collection of scientific instruments formerly owned by the Ayrer family.