Details
A rare early 17th-Century German oval ivory diptych dial,
signed PAVLVS REINMAN ... 1602,
Face Ia, the upper leaf, outer face: wind rose in red and black with outer scale graduated 1 - 32, compass viewing aperture, brass direction pointer (one tip snapped off), brass clip and later wind vane
Face Ib, the upper leaf, inner face: pin-gnomon dial showing the hours in the day calibrated 8 - 16 in red and showing the symbols of the houses of the zodiac in black, above a vertical dial calibrated 7 - [12] - 5, the hours before noon in black, those after in red, with sun face in red (contemporary repair)
Face IIa, lower leaf, inner face: horizontal dial calibrated 4 - 12 - 8 in black, pin-gnomon scaphe dial showing Italian hours 8 - 23 in black and Babylonian hours 1 - 16 in red with sexfoil geometric motif (cf. Gouk p. 118, figure 105, no. 18) decorated with sun and crescent moon faces (cf. Gouk p. 118, figure 105, nos. 22 and 8 respectively), and stars in red and black, compass with brass-capped, blued-steel needle, engraved brass clip to retain vane, two brass clips and brass suspension loop
Face IIb, lower leaf, outer face: gilt lunar volvelle with radiant crescent moon face calibrated 1 - 12 twice, running over scales calibrated 1 - 12 twice in black and 1 - 29 in red, and outer scale giving the Julian epacts titled EPACTA IVLIA ANNO 1602 in black, maker's mark of crown (Gouk p. 117, figure 104, mark 10), four brass bun feet -- 3in. (7.4cm.) long
See Colour Illustration and Details
Literature
GOUK, Penelope The Ivory Sundials of Nuremberg 1500-1700 (Cambridge, 1988)
SYNDRAM, Dirk Wissenschaftliche Instrumente und Sonnenuhren (Munich, 1989)
ZINNER, Ernst Deutsche und Niederländische Astronomische Instrumente des 11.-18. Jahrhunderts (Munich, 1972)
