Accession No

0380

Brief Description

universal mechanical equinoctial dial, German, 18th C

Origin

Germany

Maker

Class

dials

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1800

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, steel, silver); glass

Dimensions

length 162mm; breadth 110; thickness 34mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Presented by H. Marryat of London to Robert Stewart Whipple in 04/1927.

Inscription

Description Notes

Brass octagonal base plate set on 3 turned feet. Base plate decoratively engraved with acanthus leaf border. Inset compass with silvered base; cardinal points marked in Latin; magnetic variation marked at 12˚ W of N, the whole compass being offset 20˚ E. On reverse of base plate a cam-operated ‘latitude’ stop, the scale divided 15˚ - 85˚, numbered by 5˚, subdivided to 1˚; also table of towns and latitudes
Hour plate has circumference cut with teeth meshing into the alidade. Hour circle divided I - XII, I - XII, numbered by I, subdivided to 30 minutes. Centre of the plate with lunar volvelle; age of moon divided 1 - 28 (0-29; 14-1-2000), numbered by 1; lunar phase diagram also. (Centre ring is numbered 1-12, 1-12 around the edge. There is a window in this dial; 14-1-2000). Alidade decoratively engraved and carrying minute dial divided [0] - 60 minutes, numbered by 10 minutes (numbered by 5 minutes; 14-1-2000), subdivided to 1 minute. Pinhole gnomon on end of alidade.

References

Events