Skip to content
Dial by L. Grasl, Germany, 1701–1800 — view 1 of 5
View 1 of 5 · Image: Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Instruments · Dial

Dial by L. Grasl, Germany, 1701–1800

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
L. Grasl (Maker)
Date
1701–1800
Country of origin
Germany
Place
Augsburg[DE]
Object type
Dial
Materials / technique
laiton
Dimensions
hauteur: 6.6 cm largeur: 6.3 cm
Accession / object no.
[KIK-IRPA n° 10120875] AP_10276173
Credit line
Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage
Catalogue title (original)
Cadran équinoxial carré et son mode d'usage imprimé (French)

View the source record ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Held and catalogued by Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (object number [KIK-IRPA n° 10120875] AP_10276173), this is a dial by L. Grasl, made in Augsburg[DE], Germany, dated 1701–1800. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Instruments collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: laiton. Recorded dimensions: hauteur: 6.6 cm largeur: 6.3 cm. The record is illustrated with 5 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

The source record does not include a narrative description. The structured fields above are reproduced from it.

Historical context

Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)

Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.

Pocket sundials, Butterfield dials and sandglasses remained essential companions to imperfect clocks; navigators used sandglasses and the log line; observatories began to combine telescopes with pendulum clocks.

Read the period in the timelineMore instruments from this periodEarlier: Renaissance 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.

Related records