Accession No

1772

Brief Description

perpetual calendar and aide memoire, German, 18th C

Origin

Germany

Maker

Class

horology

Earliest Date

1700

Latest Date

1800

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, silver); ivory

Dimensions

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. 1935.126

Inscription

Description Notes

Brass covers protecting 3 ivory leaves; single hinge pin at the top centre.
Obverse: 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 days of the week in German. Signs of silvering, and worn silvering on inside of cover.
Reverse: disc with cut out sector marked ‘sonnen lavf’ and divided to zodiac sign; date scale marked ‘Monat des Jahrs’ and divided to month. Length of day scale marked ‘Tag Läng’ and divided 8 - 16 - 8, numbered by 1. Sunrise scale marked ‘[sun] Aufgang’, divided 4 - 8 - 4, numbered by 1. Length of night marked ‘Nacht Läng’, divided 8 - 16 - 8, numbered by 1. Sunset scale marked ‘[sun] Undergang’, divided 4 - 8 -4, numbered by 1. Tables silvered, worn silvering inside cover.
Both covers decoratively engraved.

Fitted case (not original).

References

Events