AN ENGRAVED BRASS SUNDIAL

Details
AN ENGRAVED BRASS SUNDIAL
ISAAC JOHNSON, NEW YORK, 1731

The square plack with a surface engraved with a circular dial inscribed Isaac Johnson fecit 1731/Begon' about/your Businefs/New York with Roman numeral, the spandrels engraved with scrolling vine decoration, (gnomon missing)--7 x 7in.

Literature
Roderick H. Blackburn and Ruth Piwonka, Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America 1609-1776 (New York: Albany Institute of History and Art, 1988)p. 158, fig. 159.

Lot Essay

Found in a tavern in the Mohawk valley, this piece is an early example of engraving from New York, and relates closely to brass clock faces done during this time. Although Isaac Johnson has not been identified, it is possible that he was an experienced engraver who worked with many mediums, such as silver and gold.