Antiques, Estate & Job Lot Auction – 14 October 2026

Antiques, Estate & Job Lot Auction – 14 October 2026

Catalogue

Lot 730: A Spanish? Stained Wood Folding Diptych Sundial with Compass, Las Casillas, 1770?

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Start price: £10

Estimated price: £10 - £20

Buyer's Premium: 18%

A portable folding diptych sundial and compass housed in a dark-stained wood? case. The instrument features hand-painted paper or parchment dials and a silk thread gnomon. The interior lid contains a latitude scale listing various European and North African cities including Londres 52, Paris 49, Milan 46, San Sebastian 44, Roma 42, Barcelona 41, Madrid 40, Sevilla 38, Cadiz 36, and El Cairo 30, surrounding a central celestial diagram. The base interior features a horizontal hour dial numbered 4 to 12 and 1 to 8, with a hand-written inscription reading Las Casillas 1770. A central inset compass is fitted with a hand-drawn eight-point rose and a metal needle. The exterior lid is decorated with a complex solar and celestial diagram in Spanish, including the terms Circulo del Horizonte, Ecuador celeste, and Meridiano superior. The two halves are joined by brass hinges and secured with a brass wire latch. Based on the 28.4mm diameter of the coin shown, the instrument measures approximately 56 mm across.
Diameter: 5.6 cm.