Accession No
0329
Brief Description
fake horizontal dial, English, c. 1920 but made to appear older
Origin
England
Maker
Class
dials
Earliest Date
1920
Latest Date
1920
Inscription Date
Material
metal (bronze)
Dimensions
length 100mm; breadth 100mm; thickness 45mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from J. Whitaker, Cambridge, in 09/1928.
Inscription
Description Notes
Fake horizontal dial, English, c. 1920 but made to appear older.
Square bronze base with 4 screw holes for attachment to pedestal. Hour circle divided IIII - XII, I - VIII, numbered by I, subdivided to 15 minutes. Fixed gnomon for latitude 50˚ N.
Condition: fair.
Note in Catalogue 6 reads: “An imitation in the ‘antique’ style.
References
Events
Description
The horizontal dial is the most common form of sundial. The portable version proved very popular with the upper classes during the 19th Century. During this period it could best be described as the wristwatch of its day.
The hour lines are engraved onto a horizontal surface, with a gnomon (pointer) in the centre. Seasonal variations (caused by the earth’s orbit being elliptical, not circular) have to be compensated for, as they can affect the raw reading by up to 18 minutes.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson and Boris Jardine on 18/10/2002
FM:43130
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