Ref: W974
£ 2,800
Price is subject to availability and market conditions.
A SILVER ENGRAVED BUTTERFIELD TYPE POCKET COMPASS-SUNDIA LANGLOIS, PARIS: L Early 18th Century signed ‘C. Langlois Paris au Niveau’ , engraved latitudes 52°, 49°, 46° and 43°, folding gnomon with bird shaped point and marked 40° - 60°, inset compass, the underside engraved with the latitudes for thirty-one cities and towns, 6.5cm x 6cm
Notes:
Similar exampleby the same maker
They were used from the late 17th century onwards and could be more accurate than clocks
Similar examples can be found in the British Maritime Museum, V&A and the British Museum.
A Butterfield dial is a portable horizontal sundial designed to be folded flat and used in latitudes between 35° and 60°. It was named after the English gnomonist Michael Butterfield, who was active in Paris around 1690.
The dials were constructed with a hinged gnomon, whose angle could be adjusted for the latitude; the latitude was indicated by the beak of a bird. The gnomon was held in place by a rivet which was displayed by the birds eye, and thumbscrew.
The dial plate had three chapter rings for 44°, 48° and 52° which would be sufficiently accurate to be used between 35° and 60° (roughly between Gibraltar to the Shetland Isles). There would also be a compass and a plumb bob.[1
