Artwork Page for Butterfield Sundial

Details / Information for Butterfield Sundial

Butterfield Sundial

1700s

France, 18th century

Medium
silver
Measurements
Overall: 7.7 x 7.4 cm (3 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Henry W. Kent 1942.490
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Butterfield-style sundials were named after Micheal Butterfield, an English scientific and mathematical instrument maker who worked in Paris between 1674 and 1724.

Description

Butterfield-type sundials are characterized by their adjustable gnomons, metal flaps that cast a shadow on the dial’s face to indicate the hour, and geographical indices. This sundial has a scale adjustable between latitudes of 40° to 60° north. The latitudes of 26 European towns are engraved on its back for quick reference. With an intricately engraved silver face, it would have functioned as a fashionable traveler’s accessory.

Butterfield Sundial

1700s

France, 18th century

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