Wood Solar Quadrant
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
16th century
This 16th-century Italian solar quadrant, inventory number 1306, is constructed of wood with a radius of 102 mm. Signed by Joseph Pinam, the instrument serves to measure the sun's height to determine the time.
One face features hour lines and a calendar scale, while the reverse side displays a 16-point wind rose. The instrument design utilizes ink inscriptions, with black and red lines distinguishing morning and afternoon hours. Sighting is facilitated by a brass point and a drilled block on the edge, although the original plumb-line is currently missing. The instrument was formerly part of the collection bequeathed by Vincenzo Viviani to the Ospedale Santa Maria Nuova, before its eventual transfer to the Museo Antichi Strumenti.
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
- Quadrant
- Maker
- Joseph Pinam
- Dating
- 16th century
- Material
- Wood
- Provenance
- Vincenzo Viviani
- Place recorded
- Italy
- Maker / attribution
- Joseph Pinam
- Inscribed Instruction
- LINI RVBEI POST NIGRE ANTE MERIDIEM
Design
- Visible features
- • Sighting edge features a brass point and a drilled block • Inked inscriptions distinguish morning and afternoon hours using colors • 16-point wind rose diagram on the reverse face
- Inscriptions and Graphics
- One face of the quadrant is detailed with hour lines and an instruction in Latin reading 'LINI RVBEI POST NIGRE ANTE MERIDIEM'. This instruction guides the user, indicating that red lines are for the afternoon and black lines are for the morning. The arcs for the equator and the tropics are rendered in red ink with black labels. The morning hour scale is further subdivided into 10-minute intervals along the non-sighting side, whereas the afternoon hours remain undivided. The reverse side contains a 16-point wind-rose diagram executed in black and red ink. The main directions of this compass are indicated against red branches, utilizing traditional Mediterranean names such as 'Tramontana', 'Mezzodi', 'Greco', 'Lebeche', 'Levante', 'Ponente', 'Syrocho', and 'Maestrale'.
- Provenance and Documentation
- The instrument was part of the collection bequeathed by Vincenzo Viviani (1622–1703) to the Ospedale Santa Maria Nuova. Following its time at the Ospedale, the object was moved to the Museo Antichi Strumenti at the conclusion of the 19th century. The maker, Joseph Pinam, is noted in the signature, but historical documentation regarding his identity or professional background remains unavailable.
- Construction and Functionality
- The quadrant is fabricated from wood with a 102 mm radius. The device is designed to measure the height of the sun to indicate the time. The sighting mechanism consists of blocks at each end of the edge, with the upper block drilled to allow a spot of light to strike a brass point set at the center. Originally, a plumb-line was attached to a brass eye that could swivel around a central pin, though this component is now absent from the instrument. Operation of the device required tilting the quadrant while observing the sun through the sighting edge to allow the height to be read from the hour lines. A specific calendar scale is inscribed along the edge, which provides readings to a five-day interval.
Identification
- Inventory Number
- 1306
- 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 plumb-line is missing from the original assembly
- Research required: Information regarding the maker Joseph Pinam is currently unknown