Equinoctial Sundial by Nicolaus Regundus
name: label: maker
content: Rugendas, Nicolaus
notes: label: Description
content: This universal folding pocket equinoctial (a form of equatorial) sundial is signed Nicolaus Rugendas, the name of three sundial and clockmakers active in Augsburg name between 1585 and 1745. Meager decorative engraving, the style of the signature, and the applied chapter ring suggest that this dial is probably by the youngest of the three makers bearing this name, who worked from about 1665 to 1745. Except for the compass glass and the compass needle and its pivot, the instrument is of brass with a fire-gilt and silvered finish.
label: Description
content: The compass bowl is 1.50" in outer diameter, 1.40" in inner diameter and .26" deep. The silvered base of the bowl is engraved with five degree divisions, unnumbered, and marked with the four cardinal points of the compass. A ten degree magnetic variation is engraved on the base. The plain steel needle is blued and set in a square pyramid-shaped fire-gilt brass bearing. The bowl is secured to the underside of the dial plate from the underside, with four fire-gilt brass baluster-head screws, the plain (probably replaced) glass being retained between plate and bowl. The turned edge of the compass-bowl is of gilt-brass.
label: Description
content: The octagonal silvered dial plate is 2.37” deep x 1.19” wide x 0.03” thick. It has a 1.40” diameter aperture, around which are engraved decoration in the form of ears of wheat. The outer edge is relieved with a plain border line. At the back at center is a hinge for the dial scale and gnomon. At the left is a hinged gilt-brass latitude scale, engraved 20-90 in two degree divisions and numbered every ten, which folds flat when not in use. At the front is a gilt-brass folding, engraved, decorative gallows, within which is suspended a short brass plumb bob used to level the dial when in use. The bob shows no sign of gilding, but appears to be original. The gallows is pivoted between two small gilt-brass cocks and is kept upright by an engraved gilt-brass foot, which acts as a spring, secured to the underside of the plate with two gilt-brass screws. The underside of the dial plate has a ring of wheat ear engraving around the compass bowl and three feet on which the dial stands. The back of the bowl itself is engraved with the names of cities which range in latitude from 32 degrees (Jerusalem) to 60 degrees (Stockholm).
label: Description
content: The gnomon is reversible to accommodate the winter months.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany: Bavaria, Augsburg
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Timekeeping
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of C. E. Newell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0231.01
label: accession number
content: 1985.0231
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0231.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Sundial, Equatorial
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.2 cm x 6.7 cm x 6.7 cm; 7/8 in x 2 5/8 in x 2 5/8 in