Accession No
1748
Brief Description
ring dial, English, 1/2 18th C
Origin
England
Maker
Class
dials
Earliest Date
1700
Latest Date
1752
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, steel)
Dimensions
diameter 41 mm; thickness 11 mm
Special Collection
Holden-White collection
Provenance
On loan from The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. Donated by Charles Holden-White to the Fitzwilliam Museum. C. Holden-White collection no. 1935-102.
Inscription
Description Notes
Brass ring dial. Fixed suspension loop with steel suspension ring. Single pinhole gnomon set in a sliding ring with raised clasp joint. Date scale on outer ring, marked by initialled month, subdivided to 10 days. Corresponding scale at clasp joint marked ‘SHW’. Inner face carries hour scale divided 4 - 12, 1 - 6 (12, 1-8; 14-1-2000) in 3 bands ‘SHW’.
Condition: fair (tarnished, ring will not slide).
References
Events
Description
Ring Dial
The ring dial is one of the oldest forms of portable sundial. It was probably developed by the Romans. It is also one of the simplest dials, and was often made very cheaply for the lower end of the market.
Ring dials tell the time from the height of the sun in the sky. They are generally not very accurate. They are used by moving the central band until the pin-hole is lined up against the correct date. After this, the dial is held up and turned until the sunlight falls through the pin-hole onto the hour scale on the other side of the ring. The small circle of light will show the hour, though it is left up to the user to work out whether to choose the morning or the afternoon reading.
FM:41404
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