Exceptional Horological Sale Celebrat...

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Apr 24, 2004

LOT 498

Italian, dated 1608. Fine and rare ivory and painted on wood oval diptych sundial with Julian and Gregorian epact tables.

CHF 2,000 - 3,000

EUR 1,300 - 1,900 / USD 1,600 - 2,300

Sold: CHF 2,990

C. Outer side of the upper leaf painted in green with red border,inner with list of latitudes of 14 European cities, mostly Italian,inner side of the lower leaf with equatorial dial (latitude 48o)with hours shown by string gnomon, small vertical bonegnomon for Italian and Babylonian hours numbered 8-23 and1-16 respectively, small compass with North-South line offsetapproximately 5o E of North, outside venter with gilt brasslunar volvelle, outermost Julian and Gregorian epact tables for1608, four small bun feet. Dated on the inside of the lower leaf.Dim. 75 x 58 mm


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good

Notes

A good, early and unusually shaped Italian sundial bearing rarely found epact tables on the back. Epact is the difference between the solar and the lunar year. Mea-sured in days. Literature. E. Dekker, "Epact Tables on Instruments: Their Defini-tion and Use", Annals of Science, 50 (1993), 303-24