Introduction

Move back to the XVIII century Germany to discover and enjoy skills and craftsmanship of legendary goldsmiths in Augsburg.

Passing all their skills and technical knowledge from fathers to sons, the Voglers family developed a specific style and esthetic contributing to the popularization of this instrument in the 18th century.

Our sundial is a replica of the sundial made by Johann Georg Vogler, who belonged to the fourth generation of Voglers. The original is in the Naval Museum of Madrid.

General information

• the wooden base which contains the compass is 100mm x 100mm
• the maximum height of the hour scale is 100mm.
• designed in brass and wood
• compass and the sundial are fully functional

Additional information

The Voglers contributed to the popularization of this instrument in the 18th century. They specialized in a type of equinoctial sundial that became known as "Augsburg clocks" for the city in which they were made. These usually were octagonal planes that contained a compass with hinge clamps that allowed the hour scale and the limbo (with a scale of latitudes) to rotate. The originals were made of brass and glass.

The equinoctial clocks are the simplest sundials. They usually consist of a wand that point to the polar star and a perpendicular plane over which its shadow is projected. The hour lines are spaced equally around the stylus and the date lines are concentric with it.

Until the 18th century, for most people, sundials were sufficiently precise for measuring time. This explains their ample variety that ranges from enormous sundials on the walls of churches to very small and complex instruments.