This
department deals only with portable sundials equipped
with a compass.
We will describe shortly the different types developed between the 17th
and the 19th century.
We have discovered several old French books dealing with the theory and
technique of sundials like the
- the Traité de la CONSTRUCTION et des principaux usages des
INSTRUMENTS de MATHEMATIQUES by Nicolas BION (1709, see below)
- the TRAITÉ de GNOMONIQUE PRATIQUE by Dom
François Bedos de Celles (1709, picture at right),
- and the Traité d'HORLOGIOGRAPHIE de Dom Pierre de Sainte
Marie-Madeleine (1701).
Some written in the 20th c. address more collectors and describe items
displayed in Museums and private collections:
- LES MONTRES SOLAIRES (Cdt Vivielle, 1932),
- LES INSTRUMENTS DES SCIENCES (Sté fr. du Livre, 1966),
- MESURE DU TEMPS ET DE L'ESPACE (Off. du Livre, Fribourg, 1970).
We reproduce here some pictures of items seen in the older ones and we
used some technical definitions and historical facts concerning the
items. You will find find more information about this topic (in French
and German) on the following website:
Gnonomik
CONTENT
-
EUROPEAN
SUNDIALS
-
CHINESE SUNDIALS
-
EQUINOCTIAL
COMPASSES
-
BION
-
BUTTERFIELD
-
FLOATING
CARD COMPASSES (PANTOCHRONOMETERS)
-
GNOMON COMPASSES
-
L'ABEE-LUND'S
WATCH COMPASS
LITERATURE
LES MONTRES SOLAIRES - Booklet of about 30 pages
written in 1932 by Commandant VIVIELLE, Head of the French Navy's
Library and private collector. This booklet gives valuable information
about the different sundial types and the life of the makers.
(Photocopies can be ordered).
Anciennes
INDUSTRIES scientifiques et artistiques DIEPPOISES
(55 p, 1904) by Ambroise MILET, chap. II: Cadrans
à boussole.
FRENCH SUNDIAL
These two-fold ivory sundials are called in French
Dieppe-style
because they were originally developed and mass produced by Charles
BLOUD in the northern French city of DIEPPE (Normandy) from 1666 on.
His brothers (or sons?) Gabriel and Jacques continued the trade and
were first imitated by Ephraïm Sénécal,
then by Jacques Sénécal (see center photo).
Some items feature many functions: Italian and Babylonian hours (see
Definitions below), seasons curves and a latitudes table.
They have on top of the lid a universal dial and a polar dial. We find
inside these sundials a vertical and a horizontal dial. Under the
compass is also an analemmatical dial. This device is governed by a
rotating disk with a perpetual calendar.
Definitions:
There has been several methods for counting the duration of a day:
-
judaic or antic hours: 12 hours from sunrise to
sunset and 12 hours from sunset to sunrise. They were only twice in the
course of the year of equal length, on March 22 and September 22
(equinox)
-
italic hours: 24 hours of equal length from
sunrise until the next sunrise
-
babylonic hours: 24 hours of equal length from
sunset until the next sunset
-
astronomical hours: 24 hours of equal length
counted from noon until noon on the next day.
Instrument
with
pendulum (not signed)
Probably France, late 17th C.
Picture Jaypee (priv.
coll.). |
DIEPPE style sundial,
late 17th c. built by Sénécal |
LIENHART & MIELLER (Nuremberg, 1626)
B/w pictures: Cdt
Vivielle's
priv. coll.
|
(Click on the
picture
above for an enlarged view of the dial)
|
The lid's upper side features a beautiful map of North America, a part
of
South America and two three-masted sail ships.
Divisions Inside the lid: (tbd).
Pictures by courtesy of
Milagritos25
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views)
|
Technical
Data
- Dimensions (closed):
3 1/2¨ x 2 1/2¨ x 3/4¨ approx.
- Material: maybe bone
NOTE: This is a very well made reproduction of an antique DIEPPE-type
sundial.
The magnetic needle looks like the old original ones. Only, the
compass' cylindrical bowl is a little too large for the casing (there
is not
enough room for
the roman figure VIII on the left rim) and the rose, divisions and
figures printed on the dial
look far too modern. Moreover, the islands located North of
Canada
were discovered & surveyed during the 19th/20th C. |
PORTUGUESE SUNDIAL
Wood, ink, paint (XIXth c.), signed
I.S. i.e.
Iohannes (Latin for
Joao) da Silva.
The daylight hours are indicated for Portugal's mean latitude (38-39
deg.)
 |
The words printed on the rear back face read 'VERDADEIRO AUTOR JOAO DA
SILVA' (Maker: Joao da Silva).
Note: This exhibit doesn't
belong to the Online Compass Museum. These pictures were sent by a
friendly visitor (priv. coll.). |
North is
indicated with a fleur-de-lis
but also EAST with two tiny symbols.
(read our entry in MISCELLANEOUS/ The cardinal points')
(Click on the picture for a
detailed view of the compass).
Technical
data
- Dimensions: 68 x 48 x 14 mm
- Weight: 33 gr
- Pendulum: lead bead
|
BRITISH SUNDIAL
Paper on wood, England, early 19th c.
On the back is a list of towns in Europe and North America with the
corresponding latitudes.
Examples: Naples 41, Glasgow 56.
Note: This exhibit doesn't belong
to the Online Compass Museum. These pictures were sent by a visitor.
GERMAN SUNDIAL
Paper on wood, Germany, early 19th c.
On the back is a list of towns in Europe with the corresponding
latitudes.
Note: This exhibit doesn't belong
to the Online Compass Museum. These pictures were sent by a visitor.
- 1 -
- 2 -
DESCRIPTION : The stylus must be parallel to the Earth rotation's axis
and is thus pointed to the North Star. The ring on which its shadow is
projected must be parallel to the Earth equatorial plane and can thus
be adjusted according to the latitude of the user. To be precise, the
system must be oriented to the geographical North and thus take into
account the magnetic deviation. Furthermore, it must be placed
horizontally. This is made possible by one or two levels and adjusting
screws.
Note: These exhibits don't belong
to the Online Compass Museum. These pictures were sent by visitors
(priv. coll.).
Picture:
print out of
La GNOMONIQUE pratique, Fig. 28
(Click on the drawing for
an enlarged view) |
Instrument signed by And.
VOGLER
(authenticity not guaranted)
(Click on the picture for
enlarged view) |
This system is assumed to have been developed in France in the late
17th c. by a clockmaker living in Auch (South of France) called Rugend.
Like many others, he was forced to emigrate to Germany because of the
religion wars and maybe changed his name into Rugendas since we find
compasses made in Augsburg which are signed Rugendas.
(quoted after Mesures du temps et de l'Espace (OLF,
1970) |
Some examples:
 |
Instrument with two levels made by
F. BARKER
(1919) |
Instrument with one level mde by
SECRETAN
(ca. 1930) |
Instrument built by
TOPOCHAIX
(2nd half of the 20th c.) |
PROFILE - Nicolas BION (1652-1735) was a French mathematician. His shop
was located
in Paris, Quai de l'Horloge du Palais.
He wrote a famous book on mathematical instruments called
Traité
de la construction et des principaux usages des instruments de
mathématique and built Butterfield-type
compasses.
 |
N. BION showed in it a sundial with
his name as the maker on page 362. |
 |
For
a description in English, see the Butterfield sundial below.
Note: This exhibit doesn't
belong to the Online Compass Museum. This picture was part of an
auction's catalogue (1984). |
PROFILE - Michael Butterfield (1635-1724) was a british clockmaker who
settled in Paris
about the year 1685. He worked for the royal court of France and was
apppointed engineer to the King. He opened in the district
faubourg
Saint-Germain, in the street
rue
Neuve-des-Fossés, a shop for precision
instruments. His shop's sign read 'AUX ARMES D'ANGLETERRE' (The English
coat of arms). Russia's Czar Peter the Great visited his shop and
ordered a great quantity of dials made of gilt copper. After his death
in 1724, the sun-watch type he had been manufacturing and selling was
copied by many european manufacturers.
Picture exerpted out
LES MONTRES
SOLAIRES (1932).
(Click for enlarged view) |
A typical bird-shaped gnomon with latitude scale.
|
Principle and description: This sundial type is adjustable for latitude
by increasing or
decreasing the angle of the gnomon against the bird's beak and then
reading from one of the appropriate dials for the different latitudes.
It consists of an elongated octagonal plate on which
a shadow is cast through an adjustable quadrant engraved on one side
of a
folding hinged gnomon supported by a bird-shaped fitting.
The dial chapter includes several (3-4) sets of engraved
scales
alternating in Roman and Arabic numeral made for different latitudes.
The instrument incorporates a
recessed
compass with a fine blued steel magnetic
needle and the dial takes into account the present position of
true (magnetic) North.
Pictures below: Late 17th, early 18 Century
silver horizontal
"Butterfield Sundial"
Butterfield's signature is
engraved on the upper side.
All pictures by Ottavio
Veglio
(Click
on the pictures for
enlarged views)
|
The model designation on the
disk reads "Cadran Premier".
Engraved on the reverse side are the names and latitudes of
different European cites.
|
Technical Data
- Dimension (length): 2-1/8 inches, 54 mm
- Material: silver
- Fleur-de-Lis hallmark
on both sides.
 
The latitudes scale is only visible on one side of the gnomon. The
other side is often engraved with acanthus leaves
|
PROFILE - ... (C. R.) was a French sundial maker ... ?
|
|
|
Technical Data
- Diameter: 55 mm
- Depth (with lid): 20 mm
- Weight: 34 gr
- Material: Gilt light alloy
France, late 19th c.
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views) |
Portrait : ... (C. R.) was a French sundial maker ... ?
|
|
Technical Data
- Diameter: 55 mm
- Depth (without lid, gnomon erected): 22 mm
- Weight: 35 gr
- Material: brass case, paper dial
France, late 19th c.
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views) |
PROFILE - Johan Henrik L'Abée-Lund was a Norwegian engineer.
He manufactured this compass from approx 1922 to the late 30's.
The
name
Uhr-Kompass
means "watch compass", and was meant quite
literally: It could be used as a sundial, with the use of the
table on the backside. The red little ant was a part of a promotion
gimmick. In these days
every product should have a marketing slogan, and for this compass it
was "
Mauren i syd"
or "The ant to the south", referring to the well
known fact that in the woods you can find approximately South by
looking at what side of the trees the ants build their hill."
(Quoted after
Kornelia's website
http://www.purgatory.net/kornelia/compass/compass.htm)
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views)
|
|
 Technical Data
- Diameter: 50 mm
- Depth: 12 mm
- Weight: 65 gr
Right: the red ant logo
|
COMBINED INSTRUMENT:
SUNDIAL & BINOCULAR
Origin: Germany (ca. 1930-1940), model
FAVORIT /
D.R.G.M. (reg. trade mark).
Folding binocular with sundial. A device resembling a bottle opener
serves to lock in folded position the small spring loaded lenses.
User's instructions for the sundial-compass: The dial shows the hours
of the longest possible summer day in Northern Germany (i.e from 3 in
the morning to 10 in the evening) together with the cardinal points. To
orientate the compass, one has to turn the arrow so that the current
hour (indicated by a watch) appears in the arrow's fork end. One turns
then the compass with the arrow head pointing towards the sun. Example:
at noon, the sun is in the South.
Like on all other
opera
glasses (shown in the category OTHER COMPASSES), there is a
mirror on the face opposite to the dial.
 |
Click on the picture for enlarged view of dial |
Technical Data
- Length folded: 105 mm
- Compass Diameter: 40 mm
Indications on the dial:
- Sonnen-Uhr & Kompass (sundial and compass)
- Abends (afternoon)
- Morg. (morning)
- Tourist / D.R.P.a. (hiker)
Concerning the meaning of Tourist in German in
those years, and the abbreviations, see MISCELLLANEOUS / GLOSSARY.
|
Pocket Hunter Sundials
Hunter-type compass with foldable Bion-type gnomon. It
appears in a 1932 catalogue of the French company S-L (see
category Pocket
Compasses)
 |
|
Picture of a similar model but with
automatic needle lock actuated when closing the lid
(see the little hole in the rim for a missing lever).
(Photo courtesy Yuri
Petrunin) |
Technical Data
- Diameter: 45 mm
- Depth: 15 mm
- Weight: 49 gr
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views) |
 |
|
Replica of an antique instrument
Technical data
- Dimensions: 50 x 38 x 13 mm
- Weight: 35 gr
(Click on the pictures for
enlarged views) |
