SOLD - Astrolabe (Astronomy Tool) Compass Vintage Italian Compact Rigaud Paris

A stunning Italian enamel astrolabe (Astronomy Tool) compass design on a pocket watch shaped vintage compact, made in Itay for Rigaud Paris. Red, green, black, white and gold with a richly engraved three dimensional scrolled golden back and sides/edges. This has an unusued, velvet edged, well-fitted sifter. No powder residue. The digits "2" & "5" are embossed inside the powder well. (Such digits typically signify that a piece is made by a fine jeweler in Europe.) There are two tiny chips in the red enamel outer ring on the top front design. The hinge is underneath the design, the golden loop top is the latch. Inside, a clear mirror is secured by an ornately emobssed gold frame. The finely scrolled back is a bit uneven. The circumference of the front design has what appears to be Italian or Latin words in black writing. On the red ring: "OS INRO SAT BINO PON ENTE MAESTRO TRAMONTANA SRE CO LEVA NTE SIRO CCO." I cannot find a translation of this line. On the green ring are the cardinal points, marked: "MERIDIES * OCCIDENS * SEPTENTRIO * ORIENS." This inner ring is what hints at the medieval astrolabe, rather than an image of a simple compass. An astrolabe is an astronomical instrument dating back to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and physical model of visible heavenly bodies. Its various functions also make it an elaborate calculation device that can work out several kinds of problems in astronomy, including identifying astronomical positions with precision.