Accession No
0617
Brief Description
universal equinoctial dial by E. Vion, 1930
Origin
38 Rue de Turenne; Paris; France
Maker
Vion. E.
Class
dials
Earliest Date
1930
Latest Date
1930
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, oxidised brass, steel); glass
Dimensions
height 186mm; breadth 86mm; depth 79mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from Vion, via agent, F.C. Danmoth, 198 Rue St. Jacques, Paris, France.
Inscription
Description Notes
Oxidised brass dial on circular base. Compass box set into base; degree scale divided 0 - [360˚], numbered by 10˚ (numbered by 20˚, divided to 2˚. Four cardinal points marked, ‘N’ and ‘S’ named. Needle arrest mechanism; 3-2-2000). Pillar supports latitude arc divided 0 - 90˚, numbered by 10˚, divided to 1˚. Knurled brass screw. Hour circle segment set in vertical semicircular mount, divided IIII - XII, I - VIII, numbered by I, divided to 15 minutes. Inner rim also divided. Brass wire gnomon.
Condition: good; complete.
References
Events
Description
Although Robert Stewart Whipple purchased his first antique instrument in 1913, it was not until the 1920s that his collection really began to grow. This is one of the first hundred objects that Whipple acquired, and demonstrates the early development of his taste for historic scientific artefacts and books.
This universal equinoctial dial is one of the only contemporary pieces that Whipple added to his collection, purchasing it direct from the maker in 1930.
07/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 07/10/2025
FM:43533
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