Gilded sundial or 'Horologiu Aequinocti '
Box-shaped gold-plated brass universal equinoctial sundial with lid and hanging eye. The lid serves as a universal equinoctial sundial. The engravings and decorations with leaf and flower motifs are blacked.
Dated 1572. Probably not used at sea.
Type of object:
Timekeeper & Sundial & Compass & Barograpf
Time period:
Denemarken & Belgie
Place:
Netherlands
Date:
1572
Maker / Author:
Not known
Publisher / Printer:
n/a
Dimensions:
5 x 5x 1 cm closed
Material:
gilde brass and glass
Graduation:
n/a
Inscription:
HORlOGIV. AEQVINOCTI, 1572
Provenance:
n/a
References:
Hester Higton, Sundials at Greenwich. Ernst Zinner, German and Lower/Andean Astronomical Instruments,
Dirk Syndram, Scientific instruments and sundials
Dominique & Eric Delalande, Solares / Sundials Dials.Similar boxes of sundials have not been found in the literature.
For somewhat similar box sundials from southern Germany see:
Description
Box-shaped gold-plated brass universal equinoctial sundial with lid and hanging eye, dimensions (closed): 50 x 50 x 10 mm. The gnomon is a fold-down pin fixed in the lid that serves as a universal equinoctial sundial. The engravings and decorations with leaf and flower motifs are in black.
Top of lid plate has the inscription: HORlOGIV. AEQVINOCTI, the year 1572 and the scale with solar hours within which an open area can be seen in the compass in the space below. The correct angle of the lid plate, in use as a universal equinoctial sundial, is determined by placing a fold-down brass strip, attached to the side of the plate, against the scale of relevant north latitude (30-60 degrees) as indicated on the side of the box.
On the underside of the cover plate is given the north latitude (between 31 and 52 degrees) of a large number of European cities, in Latin. located in Spain, France and also Constantinopolis and Londonum.
Inside the box is the compass, shielded by a glass plate. The compass scale is rotatable to set the magnetic declination. The 4 compass directions are indicated: NORD, WEST, ZVID and OST (north, west, south and east).
The bottom of the box contains a list of north latitude (between 37 and 52 degrees) of a large number of European cities, in Latin, located in Italy, Sicily, Germany and the Netherlands, including Middelburgu and Dordracum (Middelburg and Dordrecht).
Additional information