Maker's Name:
unknown
Where made:
Italy
Dimensions:
12 × 12 × 20 cm
Purchased in Florence, Italy, in the 1980s this octohedral sundial represents a style very popular in the Renaissance when knowledge of the geometry necessary to lay out sundials was highly regarded.
It is based on an original in the Galileo Museum collection attributed to Stefano Buonsignori (died 1589).
A small magnetic compass on the top face allows it to be oriented correctly. (the statement sometimes made that when all the lit dials read the same, the dial is correctly oriented, is incorrect)
The hours are numbered in the 'Italian Hours' system with 24 hours starting at sunset.
