The outer side of the upper leaf has a pierced lunar volvelle engraved with a moon effigy.The inner part of the upper leaf has a string gnomon dial with common hours marked from VI to XII to VI and lines and dots for the half and quarter hours. A decoration of the sun with double eccentric circles is at the top, and at the bottom the inscription reads 'PAVLVS REINMAN NORIMBERGAE FACIEBAT'.
The inner part of the lower leaf has a compass (broken) with the indication of the magnetic declination and the abbreviated names of the cardinal points. The string gnomon dial marks common hours from 4 to 12 to 8, with lines and dots for the half and quarter hours. In the spandrel spaces are blowing putti and star motifs, and at the bottom the inscription 'SOLI DEO GLORIA' ('glory to God only'). Below it, the decoration with stars and half moons typical of Reinmann.
The outer face of the lower leaf is blank apart from the maker's mark (a coronet).
See P. Gouk, The Ivory Sundials of Nuremberg 1500-1700 (Cambridge, 1988).
Ilaria Meliconi
