A fine mid 16th-Century gilt-brass astronomical compendium,

Details

A fine mid 16th-Century gilt-brass astronomical compendium,
unsigned and undated, but attributable to Christoph Schissler of Augsburg -- 2½ x 2 1/8 x ½in. (6.5 x 5.4 x 1.4cm.)

Arranged to resemble a small book, this compendium is in three sections. At the centre is the main compartment showing the 'spine' and the sides engraved with straight lines to mimic pages. The front 'cover' has the latitudes of 80 towns punched on both sides, from Sardinia 38° to Lubeck 55°, while the back 'cover' has silver pointers for the Sun and the Moon on the outside, and on the inside a silver volvelle to show the Moon's age with phase aperture. Closure is by a pair of clasps corresponding to books of the period. A ring is fixed to the lower edge to take a thong for carrying the intrument.

The central compartment contains a magnetic compass, complete with magnetic needle and glass cover retained by a brass split ring. In the base of the compass box are punched the names of winds: NORD, NORD-OST, OST, SVD-OST, SVD, SVD-WEST, WEST, NORD-WE. The line to the magnetic deviation is at about 11° East of North. The rectangular plate that surrounds the compass has engraved sixteen triangular pointers for the winds, each painted in colour, dark blue for the four cardinal points, green for the intermediate four, and red for the other eight. The surround has engraved sixteen heads representing winds, blowing billowing clouds.

Into this compass compartment may be placed two 1mm thick rectangular plates, each side engraved with hour lines for a choice of four latitudes to produce horizontal sundials for the latitudes of 51°/54° and 39°/42°. The gnomon (probably a string; now missing) pegs into a small hole at the centre of the 6 o'clock line below the compass. The upper end of the gnomon will fit in a slot cut in the front plate of the instrument. In use as a sundial, this plate has to be set in the vertical by a prop hinged to the side of the top edge, the point of this prop locating in a notch cut in the side of the front plate.

The inside of the back 'cover' has three concentric bands, the outermost punched: INCREMENTVM ET DECREMENTVM LVNAE. The next band has twice XII hours, while the last has the age of the Moon to 29½ days. This scale is read through an aperture with a central pointer in a silver volvelle with a phase diagram. The full Moon is a carefully engraved face. The middle of the volvelle is marked out with the astrological dispositions: trine; quartile, sextile. The outside of this plate has concentric bands showing twice XII hours, and the Latin names and number of days in the months of the year. The central part has hour lines: HORAE PLANETARVM DIEI ET NOCTIVM. The double-ended silver pointer has at the centre the Moon's age to 29½days, and a full-Moon face at one end. The single-ended pointer that follows has the dispositions at the centre, while the central peg has a Sun's face.

See Colour Illustrations

Lot Essay

Christoph Schissler (c.1531-1609) was a renowned precision instrument maker of Augsburg. The workshop had an immense production, specializing in sundials, astronomical compendia, gunners' compendia and armillary spheres.

The attribution to Schissler relies on the design and very close similarity of the letter and number punches used on the present instrument to those found on signed instruments. For example, the signed compendium dated 1556 sold by Christie's on 8 July 1999, Lot 160 in the Rothschild Collection, and the signed compendium dated 1553 sold by Christie's on 5 July 2000, Lot 54 in the Werner Collection, both show the features. In particular, the names of four towns in the latitude table on the present instrument (see below), such as SALT3BVRG, show that a missing Z punch has been replaced by a 3, as in DANC3WICK on the 1556 compendium. This is a compelling reason for the attribution to Schissler.

TABLE OF LATITUDES

SARDINIA 38 VALLADOLIT 42 LYON 45 ORLEANS 47
GRANATA 38 BVRGES 42 RHODES 45 PARISIVS 48
CORDVBA 39 GERONA 42 BOLONIA 44 TORVS 47
LYSBONA 39 NEAPOLIS 42 FERRARIA 44 REMIS 48
ARCOBRIGA 39 RHOMA 42 MANTVA 44 POCTIERIS 48
MERIDA 39 MARSILIA 43 VENETIE 45 RHOTOMAGVS 49
TOLETVM 40 NARBONA 43 PADVA 45 RETENA 49
SALAMANCA 41 TOLOSA 43 TRENTO 45 ANGIERS 46
PORTVGALL 41 ALMOSIA 44 MEDIOLAN 45 VERONA 45
BARSALONA 41 GENFFA 45 LAVSANNA 46 TERVIS 45

BERN 45 WIEN 48 BASSEL 48 MEYSSEN 51
WILLACH 46 SALT3BVRG 48 COSTNIT3 47 DRESSEN 51
BRIXA 46 OLMVTZ 49 3YRCH 47 WITTENBE: 52
CLESENBV: 47 STVTGKARTE 49 COLMAR 48 MEIDEBVRG 52
GRET3 47 HEIDELBE: 49 FREIBVRG 48 BREMEN 53
PETTA 47 FRANCKFORT 50 STRASBVRG 49 HAMBVRG 54
INSPRVCK 47 WORMS 50 ROTWEIL 48 LVNENBVRG 54
GORT3 47 SPEIR 50 VLM 48 STETIN 54
S: VEIT 46 CÖLN 51 AVGSPVRG 48 CAMIN 54
HALL 47 ANTORFF 51 NVRNBERG 49 LVBECK 55

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