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
Tk tk Iran
Artist Azadeh Akhlaghi reconstructs moments of Iranian political upheaval in a series of meticulously staged images.
Shakespeare and Stephen King Have a Lot in Common
Shakespeare scholar Caroline Bicks studies horror and fear in literature.
Mychal Threets Brings ‘Library Joy’ to Harvard
The librarian and social media star gave the keynote address for Harvard Graduate School of Education’s convocation.
Explore More From Current Issue
The retired government professor has been a rare conservative voice on campus for decades.
New Harvard research finds octopuses go beyond sight and touch to find mates.
Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.