Accession No
1895
Brief Description
horizontal plate garden sun dial, by John Rowley, English, 1700 (c)
Origin
England; London
Maker
Rowley, John
Class
dials
Earliest Date
1700
Latest Date
1700
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass)
Dimensions
d 250 mm; t 2 mm; h (gnomon)145 mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from P. Delehar, Portobello Road, London, England, in 01/1975.
Inscription
‘John Rowley Fecit’
Description Notes
In brass, finished with a black oxide coating. Circular dial plate. Hour scale divided IIII - XII, I - VIII, numbered by I, subdivided to 2 minutes. 16-point compass rose with 8 points marked ‘[N], NE, E....’ Pierced gnomon for 52˚ N. The dial plate is pierced with 3 fixing holes.
good condition
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:39827
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