Beschreibung:

A William III patinated brass sundialC. Reed or Creed, circa 1700 The 12 inch octagonal plate fitted with substantial scroll pierced cast angled gnomen fitted via wedged tenons to underside and set at approximately 51 degrees, the dial centred with a thirty-two point compass rose within an inner chapter ring evenly divided into twenty four divisions with Roman numeral chapters I-XII-XI, the middle track engraved with the names of various European cities annotated with their local time in relation to their position on the dial within Roman numeral chapter ring engraved with numerals ranging IIII-XII-VIII, with cruciform half hour markers and signature WILL'M C(.)REED between IIII and VIII, the outer edge with quarter hour and minute rings within outer track divided 0-90 for every quarter, the underside also engraved with an earlier simpler dial with outer Roman numeral chapter ring divided into halves and quarters and with inverted Knibb style stylised fleur-de-lys/trident half hour markers, the angles pierced for fixing, maximum width 33cm (13ins). a William C. Reed or a William Creed appear to be recorded, however it is perhaps interesting to note a Robert Creed is recorded in Evans, Jeremy THOMAS TOMPION at the dial and Three Crowns as apprenticed to Tompion in 1689 and gaining his Freedom in 1699. The current lot with its pierced gnomen, cruciform half hour markers and herringbone engraving can be confidently dated to around 1700 on stylistic grounds and is clearly of high specification. The dial engraved to the underside is clearly earlier, perhaps dating from the 1680's, however is fairly basic in its design; this was probably the reason why the plate was re-used for a more complex instrument twenty or so years later. Condition report disclaimer