Skip to content
The Encyclopedia of Horology

Cologne, Germany · 1511–1561

Caspar Vopel

Partially verified

Maker of globes, armillary spheres, sundials, quadrants, and astrolabes

Life & work

Born in Medebach, Caspar Vopel pursued studies in mathematics and medicine at the University of Cologne between 1526 and 1529.

He subsequently taught mathematics at the Gymnasium of Cologne, where he also managed a workshop starting in the early 1530s. His production encompassed a wide array of scientific instruments, including terrestrial globes, armillary spheres, astrolabes, and sundials. His influence extended to his work on celestial patterns, as he is sometimes credited with the elevation of the asterism Coma Berenices to constellation status.

The fuller biography summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Training, contributions & innovations

  • Vopel created an influential world map in 1545 that utilized the contemporary German tradition of cartography.
  • He provided detailed descriptive text on his 1545 mappemonde regarding the people and climate of the American continent.
  • His celestial and terrestrial globe designs influenced subsequent makers throughout the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Documented works

  • An example of a 1536 globe by Vopel is currently preserved at the Tenri University Library in Nara.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

Firms, key models & movements

No firm, model or movement in this encyclopedia is yet recorded under this maker's name.

In the object catalogue

2 catalogued objects are recorded under Caspar Vopel. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

12345let downstripcleanoilregulateorder of work; never skip letting down the mainspring
Schematic: order of work at the bench. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Caspar Vopel, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.