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CHAYETTE et CHEVAL
40
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Chinese equinoctial sundial made of lacquered wood, painted …
See original version (French)
40
-
Chinese equinoctial sundial made of lacquered wood, painted …
See original version (French)
Estimate €200 - €300
Voluntary lot
Description
Chinese equinoctial sundial made of lacquered wood, painted red and black, signed 胡茹易 Hu Ruyi, undated [19th century].
A tiered base plate with the hour plate hinged in the centre. In the centre is a fold-down brass gnomon surrounded by scales for:
1. instructions for orienting the instrument towards the north
2. the twelve so-called ‘earthly’ branches corresponding to the twelve Chinese ‘double hours’
3. the twelve Chinese double hours divided into two (above and below)
4. the twenty-four European hours divided into fifteen-minute intervals.
The hour plate is positioned by an arm fitted into one of the thirteen notches carved into the base plate, representing the jieqi (the solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar).
At the other end of the plate is a compass surrounded by three circles representing the eight trigrams (bagua); the four cardinal directions; and the twenty-four traditional, celestial and terrestrial directions.
11.4 x 5.3 x 1.7 cm.
A typical example of portable dials manufactured in Xin’an (新安), in the south of the present-day province of Anhui (安徽). No other examples by Hu Ruyi are recorded, but his descendants still work as compass-makers today. A similar dial is held at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Cambridge.
The inclusion of the twenty-four European hours is uncommon.
Expert: Anthony TURNER
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
THE MECHANISMS OF TIME: WATCHMAKING AND RELATED SCIENCES
Auction location
Auction time
10/09/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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