Accession No

1190

Brief Description

sun and moon dial, by Nikolaus Rugendas, German, first half 18th Century

Origin

Germany; Augsburg

Maker

Rugendas, Nikolaus [aka Nicolaus] (the 3rd)

Class

dials

Earliest Date

1690

Latest Date

1745

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, silvered brass, steel); glass; thread (synthetic thread); hide (leather)

Dimensions

box length 79 mm; breadth 79 mm; thickness 22 mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, University of Cambridge (now Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) in 09/1953.

Inscription

‘Nicolaus Rugendas Agusta 48’

Description Notes

Sun and moon dial, by Nikolaus Rugendas, German, first half 18th century.

Octagonal brass on 3 feet, surmounted by a silvered brass dial plate divided IIII - XII, I - VIII, numbered by I, subdivided to 30 minutes. Central volvelle for converting lunar to solar hours, marked ‘Aet Lunae’ and divided 1 - 28, numbered by 1; movable circle divided 1 - 12, 1 - 12, numbered by 1, subdivided to 30 minutes; calibrations picked out in red. Dial plate is marked ‘Horizontale Sol & Lunare’. Decorated gallows (plumb bob missing) terminating in latitude scale divided 53˚ - 47˚, numbered by 2˚, subdivided to 1˚. Central inset compass with silvered dial; cardinal points marked in Latin; offset 8˚ E of N for magnetic variation. Reverse of compass carries list of towns and latitudes (see history file).
Leather covered case with owner’s name (?) - ‘P. VUCASSINOVICH’; inside lid a list of towns and latitudes headed ‘elatio poli’ (see history file).

string replaced with nylon thread

References

Events