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Theodolite
Signed by Erasmus Habermel
Late 16th century; Prague
Brass; 250 mm in diameter

A simple theodolite on a turned pillar sleeve with a clamping screw for a tripod or staff mount. A spherical compass mount supports a disc, from which three pillars rise to the disc for the divided circle. This is pierced by four quadrant slots so as to form a central disc with four shaped and decorated arms supporting an outer ring. This ring has an outer degree scale 0 to 360, divided to 10, subdivided to 5, to 1 and to 1/2, numbered by 10. Slit and window sight vanes are set at 180 and 0 degrees respectively. Within the degree scale are six concentric scales for laying out regular polygons: positions for 3 to 16 are given, with each position marked as a numbered line on the scale.

The central disc has a double shadow square and four linear scales for four different standard feet (Rome, Vienna, Nuremberg, Prague). There is a central alidade with slit and window sights, and attached to the alidade by decorated scrollwork is a glazed magnetic compass marked with the four named cardinal points and a target line offset for variation. The engraved decoration throughout is typical of Habermel.

There is a shaped circular case covered in brown leather with elaborate gilt decorative tooling.

Jim Bennett

Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Firenze
Inventory no. 154

© Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Firenze. 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=63399

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