Accession No
0039
Brief Description
horizontal pedestal dial by J. Read, 1688
Origin
Bishops Stortford; Essex; England
Maker
Read. John
Class
dials
Earliest Date
1688
Latest Date
1688
Inscription Date
1688
Material
metal (bronze)
Dimensions
diameter 350mm; height 190mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Dial sold by Sotheby & Co., 13/12/1971, lot 106.
Inscription
‘John Read in
Bishops Stortford
1688’ ()
Description Notes
Bronze disc pierced with 3 holes for mounting screws; hour circle divided IIII - XII, I - VIII, numbered by I, subdivided to 7 1/2 minutes. 19 radial points of a 32-point wind rose from E by N through East, South and West to W by N. Series of concenctric circles of increasing radius marked ‘60, 50. Equall Shadows 40, 35, 30, Double, 20, Triple, 15, Quadruple, Quintruple, 10’.
Openwork gnomon (possibly a replacement).
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:43539
Images (Click to view full size):
