horizontal sundial
Datecirca 1780
Inventory Number7925
ClassificationSundial
Subject
Maker
Nehimiah Miller
Place of Origin
Dimensions3.9 × 7.8 × 7.8 cm (1 9/16 × 3 1/16 × 3 1/16 in.)
Material
AccessoriesNone.
DescriptionCast pewter circular horizontal dial with 4 mounting holes. The chapter ring is marked V to XII to I to VII with 15 minute subdivisions. The gnomon is made for a latitude of approximately 42°.,circular
Miller horizontal window sundial
Miller horizontal window sundial
SignedSigned "NM" on base of chapter ring (in casting)
Curatorial RemarksDatabase will not accept USA for origin of maker.
FunctionTime finding at a fixed latitude after orienting the gnomon toward true North. Often found mounted to the window sill of New England 18th century homes.
ProvenanceHarold Clarence Ernst, MD, Boston, c. 1900-1922 (no. 73); 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.
Charles Bloud
Date: circa 1660
Accessories: On 6/22/98 an envelope with a piece to this dial was found in 1V-2b. However, nothing was found inside the envelope. JR
Object number: 7514
C. R.
Date: circa 1860
Accessories: Brown cardboard box and instruction pamphlet in French and English.
Object number: 7874
Italian
Date: date 1627
Accessories: Housed in a wooden case with loose cover.
Object number: 7191
Jacques Senecal
Date: circa 1680
Object number: 7389
Japanese
Date: circa 1910
Accessories: Circular metal case with push-on cover (which may not have any original connection with sundial). There is a colored picture of a shepherd and a flock of sheep on a paper inserted inside the lid and two loose red paper discs.
Object number: 7979