Charles I Period Horizontal Sun Dial
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1625
This early seventeenth-century English horizontal sundial is constructed from a square brass scale plate measuring four and a half inches across. It features mounting holes in each corner and a central engraved plate with an outer Roman numeral chapter ring.
Hour division lines radiate outward from concentric circular motifs in the center. At the south point, the plate is engraved with the initials EC alongside the year 1625, while the north point bears an engraved cross pattée. An upright thin brass gnomon is affixed through the dial centre.
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
- Scientific instrument
- Origin
- English
- Material
- Brass
- Dimensions
- 4.5 inches square
- Inscriptions
- Initials EC and date 1625
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
Design
- Visible features
- • Square brass plate with circular drilled holes at all four corners • Engraved circular dial with Roman numerals and central radiating hour lines • Centrally mounted vertical brass gnomon casting a shadow onto the plate
- Engraved Dial Surface
- The plate features an engraved Roman numeral scale around its outer circumference, with hour division lines radiating inward toward concentric, decreasing circular motifs. The north point, situated behind the gnomon, bears an engraved cross pattée. The south point is marked with the initials 'EC' and the year '1625'.
- Construction and Material
- The object is described as a thin brass scale plate measuring four and a half inches square. It includes securing holes at each of the four corners. A thin brass gnomon with a fringed back edge is affixed through the center of the dial plate.
- Attribution and Identification
- The dial bears the initials 'EC'. While these are associated by some with Edmund Culpeper, the seller notes that Culpeper's known working dates are misaligned with the year 1625. The identity of the maker for the 'EC' initials is not established in the source, though other extant examples with similar signatures are noted to exist.
Identification
- 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: Maker initials EC are unidentified; attribution to Edmund Culpeper is noted as misaligned by the dealer
- Research required: Only a single top-down perspective is shown