Artist/Maker
Nicolas Bion
(1652-1733)
Butterfield dial and case
1685–1715
Place madeParis, France, Europe
Silver, glass, wood, leather, velvet
Overall (dial): 1/4 × 2 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. (0.6 × 6.7 × 5.7 cm)
Container (case): 1/2 × 3 × 2 5/8 in. (1.3 × 7.6 × 6.7 cm)
Container (case): 1/2 × 3 × 2 5/8 in. (1.3 × 7.6 × 6.7 cm)
Gift of the Half Moon Committee of the Hudson-Fulton Exhibition, 1909
1910.32ab
The numbers engraved adjacent to city names on the reverse of this object indicate their latitude.
DescriptionOctagonal Butterfield dial with elaborate engraved markings on front and back; circular compass encased in silver, with face visible through glass window in surface of sundial; folding gnomon with shaped edge, intricately detailed engraving, and hinge in the form of a bird; octagonal red leather covered case with beige velvet lining.MarkingsEngraved on obverse, near center (twice): "40 degre"; engraved on obverse, on two edges of octagon: "Pour 55"; engraved on reverse, bottom edge: "N. BION A PARIS"; engraved on reverse, in concentric circles: "Marseille 43 Varsovie 52 Amsterdam 52 Strasbourg 49 / Bruxelle 51 Bordeaux 45 Copenhague 56 / Venise 45 Toulouze 43"; engraved on reverse, left side: "Paris 49 / Lion 46 / Geneve 46 / Cologne 51 / la Rochelle 46 / Donkerque 51 / Londres 52 / Naples 41 / Rome 42"; engraved on reverse, right side: ". . . est 48 / Basle 48 / Gennes 44 / Bayonne 43 / Hambourg 54 / Grenoble 45 / Stokolm 59 / Vienne 49 / Dijon 47"; engraved on reverse, on two upper edges of octagon: "Milan 46" and "Turin 44"
InscribedHandwritten in ink on inside edge of lid: "B v B."
ClassificationsMARITIME TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
Collections
- Age of Exploration and Dutch New York
