![]() ![]() Auspicious clouds have been depicted on all manner of Chinese objects, so it makes sense that sundials, which are intended for outdoor use, would also feature this motif.Ī Chinese stone sundial, its base sculpted with swirling clouds, earned $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2021. In Chinese culture, clouds signify prosperity because they bring rain, and rain created abundant harvests for those whose livelihoods depended on crops growing well. A Chinese stone sundial that earned $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2021 at Bidit Auctions had a carved stand graced with clouds. A 38½-in tall carved marble sundial that sold for $4,600 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022 at South Bay Auctions has Roman numerals and fitting inscriptions on its base, such as “’Time Flies” and “Time is Precious.”Ĭhinese works of art often feature symbols that are regarded as auspicious. It became common to inscribe them with numbers, and modern versions boast unnecessary but welcome flourishes and finishing touches such as a moon and stars. The simplest antique sundials only had lines to demarcate the shape of the day, but sundial designs gained complexity as they evolved. Image courtesy of South Bay Auctions and LiveAuctioneers. This large carved marble sundial realized $4,600 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022. A large Korean bronze turtle depicted bearing a sundial on its back attained $70,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021 at I.M. They often have round shapes, but they can be elaborate, unusual and even whimsical. Sundials are typically placed on a pedestal or laid on the ground. (“Gnomon” is a Greek term that translates to “the one that knows.”) It comprised two pieces of stone one had the gnomon, which projected its shadow onto the other piece, which was carved with lines to indicate the hours, acting as a clock equipped solely with an hour hand. According to the European Association for Astronomy Education, the oldest known sundial was found in Egypt and dates to about 1,500 years BCE. Their designs divided the day into 12-hour sections from sunrise to sunset, which could be marked off as lines on a piece of stone or marble or engraved into bronze. This fact gave rise to the sundial, a scientific instrument that lends itself to decorative beauty and lush garden settings.Īncient Egyptians are credited with making the earliest sundials intended to tell time. Alternately, they could look down to mark the sun’s passage across the sky, which could be tracked by where it cast its shadow on the ground. NEW YORK - Centuries before watches and cell phones took over the task of keeping track of the time, people could roughly discern the hour by looking up at the sun. Image courtesy of Westport Auction and LiveAuctioneers. ![]() ![]() A 19th-century Dutch copper and brass armillary sundial sold for $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2020. ![]()
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