Accession No

1742

Brief Description

pillar dial, French, 18th C

Origin

France

Maker

Class

dials

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1800

Inscription Date

Material

wood (boxwood); metal (iron, tinned metal)

Dimensions

height 125mm; base diameter 31mm

Special Collection

Holden-White collection

Provenance

On loan from The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. Donated by Charles Holden-White to the Fitzwilliam Museum. C. Holden-White collection no. 1935-96.

Inscription

Description Notes

For latitude 43˚ N. Boxwood with turned bun finial on top with iron suspension loop. Cylinder tapped to take folding tinned metal gnomon. Calibrated with ‘half-phase’ sinusoidal hour lines divided 5 - 12, 1 - 7, numbered by 1 (10 marked X). Straight month lines marked by month and divided to 10 days. Letters and digits deeply stamped and filled with red colourant.

Condition: good.

The latitude for this dial was re-calculated as 43˚ 03 by Paul Claracq in 2001. See letter in object history file for Wh. 1672.

References

Events