These Photographs show seventeenth-century printed-paper sundials—the detailed engravings include instructions for building the finished products, created in this case by curators at the Sackler Museum. As Jennifer Carling and Jonathan Shaw point out in “Spheres of Knowledge,” from the November-December 2011 issue, sundials would have allowed traveling merchants not only to tell time, but also to convert among the three different time-telling systems of the day as they traveled from one region to another.
Photographs of early modern printed-paper sundials
Photographs of early modern printed-paper sundials
Georg Brentel the Younger, from Pamphlet describing the construction and function of a conical sundial, Lauingen: Jacob Winter, 1615. Pamphlet with engravings and woodcuts. | Image courtesy of Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources, Harvard Art Museums © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Side view of the facsimile made by the Harvard Art Museum | Image courtesy of Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources, Harvard Art Museums © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College
View from above of the facsimile made by the Harvard Art Museum | Image courtesy of Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources, Harvard Art Museums © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Georg Brentel the Younger, from Pamphlet describing the construction and function of a cylindrical sundial, Lauingen: Jacob Winter, 1615. Pamphlet with engravings and woodcuts. | Image courtesy of Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources, Harvard Art Museums © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College
Facsimile made by the Harvard Art Museum | Image courtesy of Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources, Harvard Art Museums © 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College
A polyhedral sundial of gilt brass, c. 1521–1530, attributed to Nicolaus Kratzer, part of the exhibit
You might also like
FAS Readies for Administrative Transition
Faculty leaders say layoffs will yield $20 million in annual savings.
Jason Furman: Capitalism Is Working. It Could Work Better.
On Open to Debate, the Harvard economist defended free market competition—with meaningful government involvement.
Two Scientists Bring the Laboratory to the Stage
The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.
Most popular
Explore More From Current Issue
Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.
Tell us about how social media impacts your daily life.
The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.