Accession No

0075

Brief Description

geomantic compass, by Lin Jun-zhou, Chinese, 1850 (c)

Origin

China

Maker

Jun-zhou, Lin

Class

magnetism

Earliest Date

1850

Latest Date

1850

Inscription Date

Material

wood; metal (brass); ivory

Dimensions

diameter 200mm; thickness 17mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from T.H. Court in 10/1922.

Inscription

Description Notes

Circular wooden geomantic compass. Black varnish with red edge; 21 concentric circles of characters in gold paint with a few red characters; inset central compass (glass and needle missing); brass bowl with ivory base and single N/S line.
Signature on reverse.

References

Events

Description
R.S. Whipple’s tastes as a collector were diverse. As well as purchasing fine antiques and canonical books, Whipple also acquired many less conventional things from the history of science.

The luopan relates the earth's magnetic field to astronomical data. It is used by a feng shui practitioner to determine the precise alignment of a structure or other object.

Text adapted from the exhibition label by Joshua Nall for the exhibition Robert S. Whipple & the Founding of the Whipple Museum (2019).
07/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 07/10/2025

Description
The geomantic compass or luopan is a Chinese magnetic compass used for Feng Shui. Unlike a conventional compass, the needle points to the south magnetic pole.
10/09/2020
Created by: Morgan Bell on 10/09/2020

FM:43579