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


Quadrant
Signed by Stefano Buonsignori
16th century; Florence
Lignum vitae; 145 mm in radius

This elegant wooden quadrant has hour lines traced on its face. It is calibrated for the latitude of Pisa. A lunar volvelle present with the sundial, indicates the phases of the moon.

On the back are the shadow square, the unequal hours and the degrees of altitude, which are important for the use of the instrument in surveying and the calculation of heights and distances.

The instrument is provided with a compass and was made by Stefano Buonsignori, an Olivetan friar, and cosmographer to the court of Francesco I de' Medici.

Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Firenze
Inventory no. 2499

© 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=96995

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