£2,000
MICHAEL BUTTERFIELD OF PARIS: A circa 1680-1700 silver pocket sundial, octagonal form with multiple Arabic and Roman chapter rings and hinged gnomon, with compass, 65mm x 57mm, housed within its original leather case.
This type of portable sundial was a fashionable traveller's accessory during the late 17th century. The latitudes of towns in Europe including Paris, Rome, London, Madrid and Dublin are engraved on the back. The hinged gnomon (triangular flap made to create a shadow) could be adjusted according to latitude. The gnomon folds flat and the sundial has cut corners to enable the dial to be enclosed in a case and carried in a pocket. The adjustable gnomon enabled the time to be read accurately in a variety of locations. Travellers still carried sundials even when watches became popular. Early watches were not always accurate for long and a dial enable them to be set regularly. A German travellers' guide of the time also recommended sundials over clocks while on the road because the chiming of clocks might attract thieves. This type of sundial is known as a Butterfield dial as it was originally designed by Michael Butterfield, an English instrument maker who worked in Paris during the late 17th century.
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