Accession No

1773

Brief Description

perpetual calendar and aide memoire, German, 1/2 18th C

Origin

Nürnberg; Germany

Maker

Class

horology

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1750

Inscription Date

Material

metal (silver); ivory; hide (leather); wood; paper (card)

Dimensions

height of calendar 100mm; width 60mm

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. 1935.127

Inscription

Description Notes

Silver covers protecting 3 ivory leaves; single hinge pin at the top centre. Red cardboard slip case with silver-topped pencil.
Obverse: Pierced disc, the window marked with symbols of the days for ‘Der [moon] 1st Tag alt’, numbered 1 - 30 by 1. ‘Scheint-Stunat und minuten’ shown by pahse. Above this a second disc marked ‘calendarium perpetvvm’, an arc cut out to show the days of the month beneath, marked along the edge of the arc with the symbols for the days of the week. Decoratively engraved, inside plain.
Reverse: disc with cut out sector, turning over a date scale divided to month and marked ‘rest und feirtag’ by Saint’s days. Scale of ‘Die Grose Uhr’, divided 17.IX.... Zodiac scale marked ‘dev Sonenhauff’ and divided to zodiac sign and month (1st Aries at 20 March) Length of day scale marked ‘Tag lang’ and divided 8 - 16 - 8, numbered by 1. Sunrise scale marked ‘[sun] aufgang’, divided 4 - 8 - 4, numbered by 1. Sunset scale marked ‘[sun] Untergang’, divided 4 - 8 -4, numbered by 1.

Condition

References

Events