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Henry Sutton, London
Indiscernibly dated 1650 (or 1656) – Exhibit No.4

Henry Sutton, London
Indiscernibly dated 1650 (or 1656) – Exhibit No.4

An exceedingly rare English Republic printed azimuth dial, converted to a surveying compass

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Stock No.

Exhibit No. 4

Case

The perhaps almost contemporary square box surveying case is constructed of multi-piece sheet-brass; the outer box has brass sides fixed by dovetail corners; and an inner brass sleeve mitred and forming a step to allow for the glass; the back of sheet-brass, and extending to the Western side with apertures for fixing to a surveyor’s plain table.

Dial

The square paper, partially dated 27th Aprill 1650 (or 1656), with a printed degree scale in four quadrants 0-90-0-90-0 calibrated to 1°. Signed in the central spade-form cartouche Henry Sutton fecit below a large fleur-de-lys. Surrounding the cartouche are the hour lines drawn in stereographic projection and with a zodiacal calendar (0°-Aries = 10 March). In the centre is an eight-pointed wind rose with hand written cardinal points, N, E, S & W, and a fine blued steel magnetic needle. The original paper laid upon another, with an early hand-drawn ink compass dial with hand-written degrees every 10° to the full 360°, anti-clockwise.

Provenance

Cyril E. Kennedy collection, and sold Sotheby’s, 22 Apr. 1965, lot 66;
Edgar Mannheimer, Zurich;
Harriet Wynter Arts & Sciences, London, sold to;
Time Museum, Rockford, Illinois, USA, inventory no.1156 until sold;
Sotheby’s New York, 13 Oct. 2004, lot 767 sold for £2,180;
John C Taylor Collection, inventory no.134

Literature

Wynter & Turner, Scientific Instruments, London, 1975, p.139, fig. 161;
Garnier & Hollis, Innovation & Collaboration, 2018, p.133

Dimensions

4¼ inches (108 mm) square

An exceedingly rare English Republic printed azimuth dial, converted to a surveying compass

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Product Description

An exceedingly rare English Republic printed azimuth dial, converted to a surveying compass

Additional information

Dimensions 5827373 cm