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Clock, Norway, 1750–1850 — view 1 of 6
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Instruments · Clock

Clock, Norway, 1750–1850

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1750–1850
Country of origin
Norway
Place
Tyskland
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
Skåret, trykket, trykt, malt, glassarbeid, metallarbeid, spunnet Trykt, malt Tre, pæretre Papir Glass Metall Tekstil, vegetabilsk fiber
Dimensions
7.2 cm Lengde 4.5 cm Bredde 1.5 cm Tykkelse
Accession / object no.
NF.1972-0289 011023200137
Credit line
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Catalogue title (original)
Ur (Norwegian)

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Record summary

Held and catalogued by The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (object number NF.1972-0289 011023200137), this is a clock, made in Tyskland, Norway, dated 1750–1850. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Instruments collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Skåret, trykket, trykt, malt, glassarbeid, metallarbeid, spunnet Trykt, malt Tre, pæretre Papir Glass Metall Tekstil, vegetabilsk fiber. Recorded dimensions: 7.2 cm Lengde 4.5 cm Bredde 1.5 cm Tykkelse. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Catalogue description from The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

Solur med kompass. Eske i løvtre og på innsiden malt papir og tallskiver. På utsiden tabell over byer og deres høyde. Ring og krok som lås. På baksiden skrevet: S. A.

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

The longitude problem was solved by the marine chronometer and lunar distance methods; dividing engines made precision scales possible, and observatories set time by transit instruments.

Read the period in the timelineMore instruments from this periodEarlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Scientific and navigational instruments

Timekeeping has always been tied to astronomy, navigation and measurement. Observatories used transit instruments to determine the exact moment a star crossed the meridian, and set their regulators by it; navigators combined sextant observations with chronometers to find longitude; surveyors, engineers and physicians used counters, pedometers and timers derived from watch and clock technology.

Instruments in this collection show how time measurement supported science and everyday technical life. Their makers were often the same workshops that produced clocks and watches, and their scales and dials document changing units and standards.

What to look for

  • Engraved scales and verniers; the units used (degrees, hours, decimal divisions).
  • Makers' signatures and town names, often on the main plate or limb.
  • Accessories and fitted cases that indicate the intended use.
  • Inventory or institutional marks from observatories, navies or schools.

Dating clues

  • Vernier scales spread after the seventeenth century; dividing engines after Ramsden (1770s) made fine scales common.
  • Mass-produced instruments with patent numbers belong mostly to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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