Portable Sundial
1700/25
Medium
Brass
Dimensions
3.8 × 7.6 × 6.7 cm (1 1/2 × 3 × 2 5/8 in.)
Classification
tool
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
8339
Art Historical Context
This exquisite **Portable Sundial**, crafted from gleaming brass around 1700–1725, exemplifies the ingenuity of European applied arts during the early Enlightenment. Measuring just 3.8 × 7.6 × 6.7 cm—small enough to slip into a gentleman's pocket—this compact tool allowed travelers and scholars to track time using the sun's shadow, with a pivoting gnomon (the shadow-casting pin) adjustable for latitude. Brass, prized for its durability, corrosion resistance, and ability to hold fine engravings, was the ideal medium for such precision instruments, blending functionality with subtle ornamental a...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...