Polyhedral Dial, 1553

Technical characteristics

Type

German polyhedral dial

Material

Brass

Dimensions

55 x 30 x 23 mm

Provenance

Maurice Rosenheim

Maker initials

WS

Place recorded

Germany

Owner inscription

Simon Schmidlkofer der Ivnger, 1577

Date of manufacture

1553

Maker / attribution

WS

Registration number

MLA 1922, 7-5.22

Design

Visible features

• Seven differently inclined functional faces • Engraved figures of a man and woman with dogs • Integrated small compass on the top face • Later replacement of the north reclining face pin gnomon

Design and Configuration

The polyhedral dial is an irregular brass construction featuring seven distinct, inclined faces. Each face serves as an independent timekeeping surface, employing a variety of systems including common, Italian, and Babylonian hours. The top face includes a small, integrated compass with a card marked 'OR' and 'OC', alongside a dial fitted with a solid polar gnomon to indicate common hours from 4 to 12 to 8. The north face features a solid gnomon dial, while the north reclining face uses a pin gnomon, with the steel pin noted as a later replacement. The south vertical face incorporates a solid polar gnomon for common hours, while the south reclining face is marked for both Italian and common hours, displaying symbols for the signs of the zodiac: Libra, Capricorn, Aries, and Cancer. The west face indicates common and Babylonian hours, while the east face provides readings for Babylonian and common morning hours.

Engraving and Inscriptions

The instrument is densely decorated with fine engraving. The east and west faces feature detailed landscapes in the foreground, with the west face displaying a woman holding a dog and the east face showing a man with a dog. Foliage is used to fill the spandrel spaces across the dial faces. The initials 'WS' and the date '1553' are engraved on the north face, surrounded by star symbols. A cartouche on the bottom face contains the inscription 'SIMON SCHMIDLKOFER DER IVNGER 1577'. While the maker is identified by the initials 'WS', historical research by E. Zinner suggests that the engraving on the bottom face refers to the later owner of the object, rather than the maker. This distinction clarifies the discrepancy between the date of the object's construction and the date recorded on the base.

Provenance and Documentation

The dial is held in the collection of the British Museum, London, under registration number MLA 1922, 7-5.22. It entered the collection via a bequest from Maurice Rosenheim in 1922. The instrument is documented in the scholarly record, specifically appearing in F. A. B. Ward's catalogue of European scientific instruments held by the Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities. Further analysis of the object was conducted by E. Zinner in his 1957 study of German and Dutch astronomical instruments. These academic sources provide the framework for the current attribution of the instrument's maker and the interpretation of the owner's inscription.

Identification

Reference

MLA 1922, 7-5.22

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.