Accession No

2754

Brief Description

horary quadrant, paper on wood, by Henry Sutton, English, 1658

Origin

England; London

Maker

Sutton, Henry

Class

dials; horology

Earliest Date

1658

Latest Date

1658

Inscription Date

1658

Material

wood; paper; metal (brass)

Dimensions

273 mm radius

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased from Christie’s, London, England; 03/06/1981. Purchased with assistance from Preservation Fund, Science Museum.

Inscription

‘Latitude
51. 32
Henricus Sutton Londini fecit
1658’ (obverse)
‘This Instrument or any
of the Mathematiques are made
in Brass or Wood by Henry Sutton In=
strument = maker behind the royall exchange’ (reverse)

Description Notes

Wooden quadrant with paper scales pasted on to both sides. Engraved on one side as an horary quadrant; on the other as a latitude quadrant, almanac, etc. (scales await detailed description) Plumb bob missing (brass stud remains), sights missing (holes remain)

Surviving quadrants are commonly engraved on brass - the paper versions, printed from an engraved copper plate, were cheaper to make and buy.

References

Boris Jardine; 'The 'incomparable' Mr. Sutton: a famous 17th-century instrument maker'; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2008: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/astronomy/incomparable-mr-sutton

Events