HANS AND JOHANN GEBHART, 1548

Details

A 16th-century Nuremberg ivory diptych dial
Hans and Johann Gebhart, 1548
signed and dated IOHANN GEBHART AM SCHISG ANNO DOMINI MDXLVIII, the two leaves detached, black, red and green colouring;
leaf 1a polar dial showing sun's declination by Zodiac symbol and initials, the hour lines parallel, HOROLOGIVM GENERALE CVM SINGNIS ET HORIS A MERIDIE, table of latitudes;
leaf 1b bearing signature and date, equatorial dial with scale at right to elevate dial 10°-70° numbered by 10 divided to 1°, string-gnomon dial (string missing), sun face to centre of equatorial dial, motto to centre TEMPORA LABVNTVR TACITISQUE SENESCIVMS ANNIS ET FVGIVND FRENO NON REMORANIE DI [Ovid Fasti (VI, 771-2) 'time glides by and we grow old with quiet years, and the days run away without restraining reins'];
leaf 2a horizontal scale for 49° (small stain), compass bowl with glass and brass ring, original needle, the base with eight winds, pin-gnomon dial for Italian and Babylonian hours, HORE AB ORTV ET OCCASV, index arm for equatorial dial;
leaf 2b with maker's mark 'H [six-pointed open star] G' [Gouk no.16].
3½in. long (9.0 x 6.3 x 1.7cm.)

Literature

Gouk, P. The Ivory Sundials of Nuremberg (Cambridge: Whipple Museum, 1988)
Zinner, E. Deutsche und Niederländische Astronomische Instrumente des 11.-18. Jarhunderts 2nd ed. (Munich: 1972), p. 319 notes only one earlier instrument by Gebhart, dated 1546.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

AN IMPORTANT EARLY NUREMBERG DIPTYCH DIAL BY HANS AND JOHANN GEBHART, GIVING JOHANN'S ADDRESS.

Although Zinner and Gouk both record a Johann Gebhart as a maker, who was made Bürger in 1538, the Nürnberger Künstlerlexikon (Munich: 2007) p.454 distinguishes between Hans Gebhart (who was made Bürger in 1538), and his son Johann, both of whom worked together between 1546 and 1586, thus accounting for the use of both the HG monogram and the signature of Johann Gebhart on this piece.

Particularly interesting is the address 'AM SCHISG'; the contraction symbol over the final 'G' indicates that this is an abbreviation for the Schießgraben in Nuremberg. This is confirmed by the Latin form of the address on the leaf of a diptych dial signed 'IOHAN · GEBHART · A·[sic]PUD · FOSSAM · SAGITTAR', previously sold in these rooms (11 April 2002, lot 521).

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