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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Tool · Scientific instrument

Charles I Period Horizontal Sun Dial

Partially verified

This early seventeenth-century English horizontal sundial is constructed from a square brass scale plate measuring four and a half inches across. It features mounting holes in each corner and a central engraved plate with an outer Roman numeral chapter ring. Hour division lines radiate outward from concentric circular motifs in the center. At the south point, the plate is engraved with the initials EC alongside the year 1625, while the north point bears an engraved cross pattée. An upright thin brass gnomon is affixed through the dial centre.

Top-down view of the square brass horizontal sundial plate with gnomon and 1625 date inscription
Top-down view of the square brass horizontal sundial plate with gnomon and 1625 date inscription — Jason Clarke Antiques. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.antiques-atlas.com
Category
Tool · Scientific instrument
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
as542a818
Source-reported date
1625
Country
United Kingdom

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Construction and Material

The object is described as a thin brass scale plate measuring four and a half inches square. It includes securing holes at each of the four corners.

A thin brass gnomon with a fringed back edge is affixed through the center of the dial plate.

Evidence for this section
  • “thin brass scale plate measuring four and a half inches square with securing holes at each corner”
  • “The centre is provided with its original, thin brass gnomon with fringed back edge which is secured through the centre of the dial”

Engraved Dial Surface

The plate features an engraved Roman numeral scale around its outer circumference, with hour division lines radiating inward toward concentric, decreasing circular motifs.

The north point, situated behind the gnomon, bears an engraved cross pattée. The south point is marked with the initials 'EC' and the year '1625'.

Evidence for this section
  • “the central plate is engraved with a roman numeral scale around the outer circumference with hour division lines terminating to decreasing circles motifs to the centre”
  • “The South point of the scale is also engraved with the initials EC and the date 1625”
  • “the North point behind the gnomon provided with a cross pattee”

Attribution and Identification

The dial bears the initials 'EC'. While these are associated by some with Edmund Culpeper, the seller notes that Culpeper's known working dates are misaligned with the year 1625.

The identity of the maker for the 'EC' initials is not established in the source, though other extant examples with similar signatures are noted to exist.

Evidence for this section
  • “the EC mark might immediately lead one to consider the name of Edmund Culpeper as the manufacturer for this rare and early example, but his working dates are clearly misaligned”
  • “It has yet to be established exactly who these initials relate to, but there are other extant examples which are similarly signed”

Open research questions

  • What specific archival or historical evidence links the 'EC' initials to other known scientific instrument makers of the early 17th century?
  • Does The Sundial Society publication from June 2020 provide further provenance for this specific item?
  • What is the intended function or historical significance of the 'fringed' gnomon design?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Charles I Period Horizontal Sun Dial
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Dimensions4.5 inches square“measuring four and a half inches square”
MaterialBrass“thin brass scale plate”
InscriptionsInitials EC and date 1625“engraved with the initials EC and the date 1625”
OriginEnglish“Origin English”
Historical ContextThe year 1625 corresponds to the accession of King Charles I to the English throne.“this remains a very clean example of a sundial dating to the year of King Charles I’s succession to the English throne.”

Visible details

  • Square brass plate with circular drilled holes at all four corners
  • Engraved circular dial with Roman numerals and central radiating hour lines
  • Centrally mounted vertical brass gnomon casting a shadow onto the plate

Research qualifications

  • Maker initials EC are unidentified; attribution to Edmund Culpeper is noted as misaligned by the dealer
  • Only a single top-down perspective is shown

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Antiques Atlas - Charles I Period Horizontal Sun Dial - 1625 as542a818

Reviewed 2026-10-25 · Record 6004958f51

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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