Scaphe Dial by Stefano Buonsignori
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1584
This scaphe dial is a wooden instrument measuring 130 mm in diameter, crafted in Florence by Stefano Buonsignori, cosmographer to Francesco I de' Medici. The object consists of a circular turned wooden box featuring a removable lid.
Inside, the lower portion holds four hollowed-out scaphe dials, each equipped with a brass pin-gnomon. A central inset compass with a straight bar needle facilitates correct orientation for timekeeping. Each of the four dials features an hour diagram drawn in black on a gold ground, with latitude markings for 35, 40, 43, and 48 degrees. The instrument is elaborately painted, gilded, and decorated with foliate patterns on an ultramarine ground.
Latin inscriptions denoting the tropics, 'Tropicus Cancri' and 'Hyemalis' (winter/Capricorn), are present within the dial cavities. The instrument is signed with the initials 'D.S.' and dated 1584.
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
- 1584
- Type
- Italian scaphe dial
- Maker
- Stefano Buonsignori
- Materials
- Wood, brass, paint, gilding
- Compass type
- Straight bar needle
- Place recorded
- Italy
- Latitude settings
- 35, 40, 43, and 48 degrees
- Maker / attribution
- Stefano Buonsignori
Design
- Visible features
- • Four individual scaphe dials are arranged symmetrically around a central compass. • The interior surfaces are decorated with formal gold foliate patterns on an ultramarine ground. • Brass pin-gnomons are installed at the center of each hemispherical cavity. • Latitude values for the four dials are inscribed in gold within dark blue ovals.
- Lid and Provenance
- The lid of the wooden box is painted light blue on its underside. It features ten concentric bands, which may suggest that the lid was originally intended to carry additional astronomical or time-related scales, though this remains an interpretation. The object is currently held by the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence. The dial was crafted by Stefano Buonsignori, who served as cosmographer to Francesco I de' Medici. The instrument is documented as inventory number 2485.
- Construction and Layout
- The instrument is a circular turned wooden box with a removable lid. The base houses four hemispherical cavities, each acting as a scaphe dial. These cavities are equipped with conical brass pin-gnomons that serve as the hour-casting elements. At the center of the configuration is an inset compass featuring a straight bar needle, used to align the instrument to correctly read time via the drawn hour lines. The interior of the box displays extensive ornamentation. The dials feature black hour lines set against a gold-gilt background. Below the hour diagram, the tropic of Cancer is indicated in Latin script. Each dial indicates a different latitude, ranging from 35 to 48 degrees.
- Decoration and Signatures
- The object is heavily embellished with painted and gilded surfaces. The areas surrounding the dial cavities are decorated with formal, symmetrical leaf patterns rendered in gold on an ultramarine ground. Within the cavities, the tropic of Capricorn is represented by the word 'Hyemalis', inscribed in gold upon a blue-green scroll over a red background, itself decorated with gold foliage. The instrument bears a signature and date. It is signed three times with the initials 'D.S.', located at the end of the scroll designated for the tropic of Cancer. The date, 1584, is found in the same position within the fourth scroll.
Identification
- Reference
- 2485
- Inventory number
- 2485
- 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 original function of the lid's internal ten concentric bands remains speculative.
- Research required: The significance of the three-time signature 'D.S.' is noted but not fully explained in the source.