Portable diptych sundial

ca. 1666–80

Not on view

Although Charles Bloud was the inventor of this variety of azimuth sundial, several other Dieppe sundial makers, including Gabriel Bloud and Jacques Senecal, are known to have made and signed similar sundials. The principle by which their sundials worked is based on a variation in the magnetic declination of the area around Dieppe which existed for only a short period in the seventeenth century, beginning about 1666.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Portable diptych sundial
Maker: Probably by Charles Bloud
Date: ca. 1666–80
Culture: French, Dieppe
Medium: Ivory, pewter, brass, paper
Dimensions: Overall: 2 13/16 × 2 5/16 × 9/16 in. (7.1 × 5.9 × 1.4 cm)
Classification: Horology
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Stephen D. Tucker, 1903
Object Number: 03.21.58
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Portable diptych sundial, Ivory, pewter, brass, French, Dieppe — Portable diptych sundial
French, Dieppe
second half 17th century

The Rape of Europa and Mercury and the Three Graces, Lambertus Vrythoff, Case and dial: enameled gold; Movement: gilded brass and steel, partly blued, French, probably Paris case with Dutch, The Hague watch — The Rape of Europa and Mercury and the Three Graces
Lambertus Vrythoff
Simon Vouet
case ca. 1645, movement ca. 1750

Wall clock (pendule en cartel), Jean Godde l'aîné French, Case: gilded bronze, oak, and tortoiseshell on brass marquetry on oak; Dial: white enamel and gilded brass with blued-steel hands; Movement: brass and steel, French, Paris — Wall clock (pendule en cartel)
Jean Godde l'aîné
Charles Cressent
ca. 1740–45

Wall clock (cartel), Etienne LeNoir French, Case: soft-paste porcelain and partly gilded brass; Dial: white enamel; Movement: brass and steel, French, Paris with French, Chantilly case — Wall clock (cartel)
Etienne LeNoir
Chantilly
ca. 1735–40

Mantel clock with musical movement, Jean-Baptiste-André Furet French, Case: gilded and lacquered bronze and marble; Movement (in bust): brass and steel with enameled hour and minute chapter rings (in head); Miniature organ with pipes and bellows (in base): brass, steel, and leather, French, Paris — Mantel clock with musical movement
Jean-Baptiste-André Furet
ca. 1784

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.