Sundial Hans Tucher 1586

Sundial Hans Tucher 1586
signed and dated, with a crowned snake as master mark, ivory, ebony and brass, finely engraved descriptions set in two colours, inscribed: "MEER COMPAST UND WEGWEISER" vs. "NACHT UND TAG COMPAST", lid torn, glass and needle missing, in original leather-covered case, dimensions 6.8 x 5.5 x 1.7 cm. Rare! Comparable pieces can be found in the National Museum Nuremberg.
Info: Sundials were still widely used as timekeepers until the 19th century. This folding sundial is called a pocket or travel sundial because of its handy size and shape. When not in use it could be folded up and carried in a case. To keep time, the watch was opened and the shadow-casting thread stretched between the two plates. When correctly aligned to the geographical latitude, the shadow would show the local time. The compass was used to align the clock with the north-south axis and to determine the direction of travel. The sundial made by Hans Tucher could also provide other astronomical information. Hans Tucher was one of the most important manufacturers of folding sundials in Nuremberg. They are usually signed and have the crowned snake as a master mark. Source: Museum Digital Landesmuseum Württemberg. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.