Gunner's Compendium
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Later 16th century
This later 16th-century German gunner's compendium is constructed of gilt brass and measures 143 x 143 mm. Designed as a multifunction instrument for artillery use, it includes a gunner's sight, plummet, quadrant, shadow square, horizontal sundial, and a hemispherical compass.
The square plate features extensive engraving of scrollwork, leaves, and fruit, alongside a small vignette of a gunner with a cannon. The instrument contains numerical tables for converting units of length, such as feet and paces, as well as multiple scales and rules, including an ungraduated 208 mm rule with a sight. Although intended to stand vertically, the original support is absent, and the instrument currently exhibits several losses, including the folding gnomon, the compass needle, the plumb-bob, and the sliding sight piece.
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
- Date
- Later 16th century
- Type
- German gunner's compendium
- Origin
- German
- Material
- Gilt brass
- Dimensions
- 143 x 143 mm
- Provenance
- Lewis Evans Collection G. 582
- Place recorded
- Germany
- Sundial inscription
- BOIS 48 GRA
Design
- Visible features
- • Small engraved vignette of a gunner with a cannon • Hemispherical compass bowl approximately 18 mm in diameter • Multiple numerical tables engraved directly onto the plate surface • Two-faced design with perforated central slit
- Condition and Losses
- The compendium has sustained significant losses since its production. Essential operational components such as the folding gnomon for the sundial, the compass needle, the plumb-bob, and the sliding sight piece are missing. The original stand required for the instrument to function in its intended vertical orientation is also absent. These losses, combined with the presence of ungraduated scales and rules that do not align with the geometrical centres of the shadow square or quadrant, complicate the functional analysis of the device. Consequently, several features, including the 'SHVC' table on the reverse, have not been adequately explained in the context of the instrument's primary utility.
- Instrument Configuration
- The compendium is a square gilt brass plate, designed with a perforated central slit for a sliding sight, which is now missing. The instrument is intended to stand vertically, although the necessary stand is lost. It integrates several functional components, including a shadow square and a quadrant, both of which pivot around a central point, and a hemispherical compass suspended from two pivot points. The instrument's surface is heavily decorated with engraved scrollwork and foliage. A specific vignette depicting a gunner operating a cannon signals the intended artillery context. Various scales are engraved along the edges and within the slots, featuring division to twelfth-inch increments, though their precise geometrical function remains a subject of ongoing investigation due to non-standard alignments and unresolved mechanical configurations.
- Mathematical and Astronomical Features
- The instrument includes complex tables for converting feet (Schuh) to paces (Schritt). These tables demonstrate historical relationships to artillery range tables, such as those found in Leonhard Zubler’s work. The numerical data provided on the plate contain several inaccuracies in the calculations, suggesting either errors in the original execution or a rationale that remains obscure. Additionally, the reverse side features a horizontal sundial identified with the mark 'BOIS 48 GRA'. While the sundial is present, its folding gnomon is lost. The instrument's construction includes a shadow square and quadrant, though the current arrangement prevents them from functioning as expected, as the rule edges do not pass through the centre in the instrument's present state.
Identification
- Inventory number
- 46878
- 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 exact use and construction of the numerical tables and ungraduated scales remain uncertain.
- Research required: The original orientation and configuration of the rules and scales are subject to unresolved mechanical questions.