An extremely fine 19th-Century Japanese silver-cased compass and scaphe sundial,, An extremely fine 19th-Century Japanese silver-cased compass and scaphe sundial,

An extremely fine 19th-Century Japanese silver-cased compass and scaphe sundial,

Details

An extremely fine 19th-Century Japanese silver-cased compass and scaphe sundial,
unsigned, the glazed compass with decoratively shaped and pierced iron needle, the silvered-brass base with four characters for compass points, the blackened-brass surround graduated and divided into twelve Zodiacal sections, each with a different character and nine sub-divisions, the interior of the lid with a silvered-brass scaphe dial with pin gnomon and twelve Zodiacal characters surrounding, bordered by decorative and stylised engravings of clouds, the hinged case with sprung catch and decorated on the silvered and moulded exterior with stlylised cloud forms, and on one side with an impressive dragon, on the other a suspension loop -- 2¼in. (5.4cm.) diameter

See Colour Illustrations

Literature

GATTY, Mrs A., The Book Of Sun-Dials (London, 1900) p.199

Lot Essay

In her book on sundials, which is largely a catalogue of her own collection, Mrs Alfred Gatty illustrates an identical piece, albeit in line-drawn form, which she relates as having purchased in a Chinese shop in San Francisco, circa 1880.