string-gnomon sundial
Datecirca 1745
Inventory Number7870
ClassificationSundial
Subject
Maker
Pierre Le Maire II
fl. 1730 - 1760
Cultural Region
Place of Origin
Dimensions2.1 × 9 × 5.8 cm (13/16 × 3 9/16 × 2 5/16 in.)
Material
Accessoriesplum bob; case
DescriptionRectangular structure with hinged support for string gnomon and plummet that folds flat for storage. The outer of three chapter rings is marked VI to XII to I to VI with 5 minute subdivisions,rectangular.
Object Name: Horizontal Dial with Compass, string gnomon (adjustable for latitude) and plumme
Accesories: Original case, with missing side and badly disfigured. Plumb bob attached by a string.
Object Name: Horizontal Dial with Compass, string gnomon (adjustable for latitude) and plumme
Accesories: Original case, with missing side and badly disfigured. Plumb bob attached by a string.
Signedengraved on dial plate: Pre le Maire Paris
Curatorial RemarksSee 7416 for a related design.
FunctionTime finding at a range of latitudes after orienting the gnomon to point toward North.
ProvenanceHarold Clarence Ernst, MD, Boston, c. 1900-1922 (no. 45); Mrs. Ellen L. Ernst (his widow), Jamaica Plain, MA, 1922; on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1923-1938; gift to Harvard College Observatory, 1938; transfer to CHSI, 1964.
Jacques le Maire
Date: 1738
Accessories: case; plumb bob
Object number: 7416
Pierre Le Maire II
Date: 1738-1744
Accessories: case
Object number: 7028
Pierre Le Maire II
Date: circa 1730
Accessories: case
Object number: 7241
Pierre Le Maire II
Date: 1730-1760
Accessories: Shagreen fitted case with green velvet lining , exterior decorated with nails.
Object number: 7065
