As I read your description, I also wondered why we haven't seen more small analemmatic dials. It (now) seems like a perfectly natural idea! When you mentioned having an attached, sliding gnomon, I had a vision of a mechanical means of placing one. I wouldn't think it would be the ideal plan for a stone dial like yours. On the other hand, it might be appropriate for a metal instrument, like one of Tony Moss's brass sculptures.
For the record, table top and portable analemmatic sundials were made in the 17th century. These all had gnomons that slid within a track so that they would not get lost. On the pocket-sized versions, the gnomons folded down for easier packing. I showed an example by Thomas Tuttell at the NASS meeting.
Sara Sara Schechner, Ph.D. David P. Wheatland Curator Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments Harvard University, Science Center B-6 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA 02138 617-496-9542 (Tel) 617-496-5932 (Fax) -
