Accession No

1676

Brief Description

magnetic azimuth dial, by Charles Bloud, French, 3/4 17th century

Origin

France; Dieppe

Maker

Bloud, Charles

Class

dials

Earliest Date

1650

Latest Date

1675

Inscription Date

Material

ivory; metal (brass, steel, silvered brass, silver); glass; paper

Dimensions

length 75 mm; breadth 65 mm; height 16 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. Holden-White collection No. 1935-30.

Inscription

‘Fait Et. Inuen Par Charles Bloud ADieppe’

Description Notes

Ivory tablets with brass fittings and silvered brass volvelles.
Leaf Ia: equinoctial dial divided 1 - 12, 1 - 12, numbered by 1, subdivided to 15 minutes. Polar dial divided 8 - 12, 1 - 4, numbered by 1. Pin gnomon missing.
Leaf Ib: southern half of equinoctial dial divided as before (?), with central silvered brass lunar volvelle with lunar age scale and inner disc revealing graphical representation of moon’s phase. (Lower dial has scale of named months; days per month by 10; and scale 1-12, 1-12 by 1; 2-2-2000). Latitude scale on RHS divided [0] - 80˚, numbered by 10˚, subdivided to 5˚, 0 - 60˚ subdivided to 1˚.
Leaf IIa: horizontal dial for 48˚ N with hour scale divided 5 - 12, 1 - 7, numbered by 1, subdivided to 15 minutes. (String gnomon missing.) Inset compass with hand-coloured paper card printed from engraved plate; degree scale divided 0 - 90˚ - 0 - 90˚ - 0, numbered by 10˚; 8-point rose and fleur-de-lys for North; 32-points marked; table of towns and latitudes (see history file); elliptical silver hour scale divided V - XII, I - VII, numbered by I. Silvered brass latitude arm in RHS.
Leaf IIb: Silvered brass calendar plate rotating to adjust the elliptical hour scale with central perpetual calendar.
Compartment for pin gnomon on side of lower leaf.

Condition: fair (ivory and glass cracked); incomplete (gnomons missing)

References

Events