Ulrich Schniep (circa 1533-1588) was born in Weisensteig, and moved to Munich in 1545, becoming a burger of that city in 1554. His patrons included Kaiser Karl V, who awarded him a coat of arms in 1551, and later Kaiser Maximilian II. Schniep's instruments, like the present example, were frequently sophisticated and capable of a variety of astronomical calculations: as Syndram comments, "Schniep war nicht nur als Kompaßmacher hoch geachtet, sondern auch als gelehrter Mann, der ber den Gang der Gestirne Beschied wußte". Syndram continues, "eine Besonderheit waren Schnieps fein gravierte und vergolderte astronomosche Reisebestecke in Gestalt eines aufklappbaren Buches", and he illustrates the example in the Kunstgewerbemuseum SMPK, Berlin as Abb. 20, which shows a dial in the same format as the present example, but with legends in Latin, as the right-hand section of a diptych, in a similar wooden casing. The left-hand section bears the signature "*VS* 1574", and the right-hand is signed "VLRICVS SCHNIEP", and dated by Syndram "1581" (p. 30). Other examples appeared at auction in 1892 "La Collection Spitzer ... Les Instruments de Mathematiques Tome Cinquième" (p. 112, lot 142, dated "1572" and illustrated as planche 1) and 1975 "La Collection Greppin" (17th November, lot 3130, dated "1577" and illustrated as plate 1). The "VS" signature used on the present example, and the following lot, is the most common listed by Zinner, who notes others including "U. Schniep", "VLRICVS SCHNIEP" and "Udalricus Schniep".