---------- > Date: March 30, 1997 13:57:15 > From: gnmeehan > To: Sundials Mail > Subject: Antique Sundial -- Authenticity > > I am trying to determine if an old vertical sundial is antique and would > appreciate any direction or help on how I might go about this. > > The sundial is brass. The plane is about 17 cm wide and the gnome is > hinged on a vertical axis. It is mounted in the chest area of an oak > carving of what appears to be an "English Knight". It is attached to the > oak with iron nails and there is an iron bracket at the top for hanging. > > The plane has on it the lettering "John Freer ....... 1626 ......Ye > Towne Coventrie". It also has the hours from VI to VI, and pictures of the > sun and an elephant. > > The knight is standing on a flat "globe" about 22 cm in diameter. On it is > a circular brass plate (dia about 18 cm) with numerous radius lines and the > inscriptions .... " BRITTAIN, Prussya, Egypte, Arabya, Persya, Indya, > Indya Oceane, Sundals, Chyna, and Peeccful Oceane". In the center of this > plate is a smaller circular plate with the radius lines numbered from I to > XII corresponding to the above geographic locations (Peeccful Oceane gets > three lines. > > Overall the oak carving is about 90 cm tall and about 27 cm at the sholders. > > A picture is worth a million words and I do have several binaries I can > send to those interested. > > I am new at all of this. I mean sundials, antiques and e-mail. I would > appreciate hearing from anyone who can suggest how I can go about finding > out whether John Freer was a builder or an owner. Might he have existed in > 1626? Were these kind of sundials for travel and were they common? > > Regards > Neil Meehan
