Menu
366 of 520
Previousnext
FirstLast
Sorted by:
Instrument type
Maker
Place
Date
Overview
Details
 Catalogue


Nocturnal
Signed by Hans Dorn
Dated 1491; Vienna
Silvered brass; 121 mm in diameter

This instrument made in 1491 by the Dominican monk Hans Dorn in Vienna, is one of the earliest known with an indication of magnetic deviation - proof that the instrument makers in Nuremberg and Vienna knew about this phenomenon at a very early date.

It consists of an equatorial dial, latitude lists, a nocturnal and a volvelle for the conversion of unequal into equal hours. The design of the latter, which resembles an astrolabe plate, has sometimes led to it being described as an astrolabe.

British Museum, London
Registration no. MLA 1894,6-15.1

© British Museum, London. All rights reserved. Information and images provided here may not be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the museum.

Basic URL: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact/catalogue.php?ENumber=24691

|| Introduction || Essay || Museums || Bibliography || Conventions || Credits || Privacy || Help ||
|Catalogue entries |Handlist || Makers || Places || Articles || Glossary || Search || Home ||