Beringer and Seyfried Polyhedral Sundial
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1730s
The National Museum of American History preserves this wooden polyhedral cube dial, attributed by the source to David Beringer and Georg Paulus Seyfried in Nuremberg, Germany, dating to the 1730s.
The cubic dial head is mounted on a hinged wooden pillar adjustable for latitude above a decorated square base. Paper sheets bearing dial scales and decorative floral borders are pasted to five of the six faces, configured as horizontal, vertical south, vertical north, east, and west dials with projecting gnomons. The square wooden base features a circular well intended for a compass.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Sundial
- Makers
- David Beringer and Georg Paulus Seyfried
- Date Made
- 1730s
- Place Made
- Germany: Bavaria, Nuremberg
- Measurements
- 17.5 cm x 10 cm x 12 cm
- Catalog Number
- 330844
- Place recorded
- Germany
- Maker / attribution
- David Beringer and Georg Paulus Seyfried
Design
- Visible features
- • Cubic wooden head mounted atop a turned wooden pillar with an articulated joint • Paper dial faces printed with Roman numeral chapter rings and foliate borders applied to the cube faces • Square base decorated with paper motifs and resting on small ball feet • Circular inset well in the base containing a compass rose card • Dark triangular gnomons extending outward from multiple facets of the cube
- Dial Faces and Scales
- Sundial scales are presented on paper sheets applied to five of the six faces of the cube. The arrangement includes a horizontal dial on the top, a vertical south dial, a vertical north dial, an east dial, and a west dial. The east dial includes a latitude scale along the bottom edge, ranging from 80 degrees to 10 degrees at 10-degree intervals. A hook is present on the east dial side, though the associated leveling bob is missing.
- Physical Configuration
- The instrument features a wooden cubic dial head mounted on a hinged pillar, which allows for adjustment relative to latitude. The cube is supported by a square wooden base, which contains an inset well originally designed for a compass. The compass needle and glass cover are currently missing from the base. Triangular gnomons extend from the faces of the cube.
- Attribution and Identification
- The sundial is attributed to David Beringer and Georg Paulus Seyfried and is dated to the 1730s. The object was manufactured in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. The instrument is identified in the National Museum of American History collection under catalog number MA.330844.
Identification
- Reference
- MA.330844
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The source notes that the compass needle and glass cover are missing
- Research required: The source notes that the leveling bob is absent despite a hook being present on the east dial side