The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Butterfield Sundial
1700s
Overall: 7.7 x 7.4 cm (3 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Gift of Henry W. Kent 1942.490
Location: Not on view
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.- Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
- {{cite web|title=Butterfield Sundial|url=false|author=|year=1700s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.490