Details
An early 17th-Century German ivory diptych dial,
undated, with maker's mark for the Tucher family, probably Thomas Tucher,
FACE Ia, upper leaf, outer face: sixteen point wind rose in red and
brown with scale calibrated 1-32, sixteen compass directions labelled in German gothic script, the cardinal directions labelled twice as S, ORIENS or OR, M and OCCIDENS or OC, the brass indicator in the form of a hand with elongated pointing finger and wide cuff, foliate decoration in green and brown, four small brass bun feet set within individual floral motifs, aperture, brass pin
for hook (hook missing).
FACE Ib, upper leaf, inner face: pin gnomon to show the hours of the day, calibrated 8-16 in red, and showing the symbols for the houses of the zodiac in black, with hour lines for the common hours labelled 8-12-4 in green, the whole labelled QVANTIDAS DIEI, foliate decoration in green and brown, four positions for string gnomon, three labelled for latitudes 42°, 48° and 54°, table of latitudes for fifteen towns/countries (see below) in black, red and green, two brass eyes.
FACE IIa, lower leaf, inner face: two glass-covered compasses, the smaller with bowl engraved with S, ORIENS, M and OCCIDENS, with steel needle and brass cap, within a horizontal scale calibrated 4-12-8 for latitudes 42°, 48° and 54°, a pin gnomon indicating Italian hours labelled 9-23 and Babylonian hours 1-15 in red and black, labelled KROS VNT KLAN VHR, the larger compass below with steel needle and brass cap, the bowl unengraved, the surround with sixteen compass directions labelled in German gothic script in black, red and green, foliate decoration in green and brown, two brass hooks, brass suspension loop.
FACE IIb, lower leaf, outer face: the stamped gilt-brass rotating volvelle with man-in-the-moon motif and numbers 1-12 twice, the scales labelled 1-12 twice in red (inner) and 1-29 in black (outer), the scales giving the Gregorian and Julian epacts in red and black, starting at 17 and 7 respectively, labelled EPAGTA GREGORI and EPAGTA IVLIANA in red and green, foliate decoration in green and brown, four small brass bun feet set within individual floral motifs, maker's mark in the form of a crowned serpent (Gouk p.117, fig.104, marks 1-4), brass eye -- 46in. (11.3cm.) long
See Colour Illustrations
Literature
GOUK, Penelope, The Ivory Sundials of Nuremberg 1500-1700 (Cambridge, 1988)
LLOYD, Steven A., Ivory Diptych Sundials 1570-1750 (Cambridge Massachusetts, 1992)
ZINNER, Ernst, Deutsche und niederländische astronomische instrumente des 11. bis 18. Jahrhunderts (Munich, 1972)
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