Brass Quadrant by Camillo della Volpaia

Technical characteristics

Type

Italian quadrant

Maker

Camillo della Volpaia

Radius

190 mm

Latitude

43° 30'

Provenance

Auction Semenzato 1982

Place recorded

Italy (Florence)

Signature Monogram

CVFF

Maker / attribution

Camillo della Volpaia

Design

Visible features

• Two scrolled sights with double pinnules on the long edge • Medici coat of arms with flanking doves • Italian hour lines represented by smooth and dotted lines • Calendar marked in ten-day increments

Reverse and Shadow Square

The back of the quadrant features a shadow square centered by a line marked '.VM. MEDIA.' which extends the full radius of the instrument. The two sides of this square are delineated as 'VM. RECTA' and 'VM. VERSA', with each side divided into twelve parts organized into four groups of three. This component allowed for basic trigonometric or surveying calculations. Detailed observation indicates that while the instrument's main face is well stamped, the engraving is somewhat light. The hatching on the scales exhibits a casual character, which has led to suggestions that the shadow square on the reverse may have been added at a later time to a previously blank surface. Analysis by Gerard Turner links the punches used on the reverse to instruments attributed to G. B. Giusti, suggesting a date of approximately 1570 for these later additions.

Attribution and Provenance

The instrument is attributed to Camillo della Volpaia based on the monogram 'CVFF' appearing on the face. The inclusion of the Medici coat of arms reflects the family's connections to the patrons of the period. The current holding institution is the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence, which catalogues the piece as inventory number 3628. The object’s history includes an appearance at the Auction Semenzato on November 6, 1982, where it was listed as lot 368. The piece is part of the Epact collection of scientific instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

Face and Cosmological Functions

The quadrant is constructed from brass with a 190 mm radius. The primary face displays a 90-degree limb divided into five-unit increments. The central area contains a complex diagram for an Italian hours dial ranging from 9 to 24, differentiated by smooth lines for morning and dotted lines for afternoon hours. A circular table labeled 'TABVULA SOLIS MOTVS' is positioned above the hour diagram, intended to track the sun's motion. Two separate halves of a calendar, marked to ten-day intervals, frame the diagram on either side. Two scrolled sights, each equipped with double pinnules, are attached to the instrument's longer edge to facilitate celestial observations. The face also features an inscription specifying the latitude of 43° 30' and a decorative escutcheon bearing the Medici emblem flanked by doves, which surmounts the floral frame containing the signature and the monogram 'CVFF'.

Identification

Inventory Number

3628

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.