17th Century French Silver Pocket Sundial by Louis Chapotot
$6,500
SOLD
France, 17th Century c.
H: 3.07" W: 2.36" D: 0.27"
Weight: 2.40 oz
A Rare and lovely French Silver Pocket Sundial by Louis Chapotot dating to 1684.
The Sundial is presented in its original case sheathed in black chagin, and is in perfect functioning state.
It showcases finely engraved floral motives on the reverse where twenty main European cities’ latitudes are recorded.
Paris is recorded as well as most of France’s most important cities at the time, but also, Vienna, Madrid, Rome, Naples, Turin and London.
The front octagonal plate is engraved with hour scales in Roman and Arabic numerals and shows and features a compass engraved with cardinal points with an adjustable and folding bird’s eye ‘gnomon’.
A french maker of optical and mathematical instruments, Louis Chapotot is first recorded in 1670 as an apprentice to Guillaume Ménard.
He was then appointed Master in the ‘Corporation des Fondeurs’ and in 1676 took his son Jean into partnership.
In the 1680s he published several tracts describing his instruments in scientific journals.
Chapotot worked at the Quai de l’Horloge in Paris under the sign “a La Sphere, Paris” according to his trade card.
He provided instruments to the Royal Academy of Sciences and to clients abroad such as Peter the Great and the court of the Qing Emperor in China.
The Hallmark located on the same side as the cities features a ‘Fleur de Lys’ which was the Mark used for smaller objects in Paris between 1684 and 1687.
A beautiful collector’s piece.
PAYMENT:
Accepted Modes of Payment:
Credit Cards via Square, Checks, Bank Account Transfers.
Wire transfers will incur an additional charge for their processing by the banking system and are only recommend for International transactions.
Should you have an account in Europe you may send your payment to our European Account-In which case we will give you the price equivalence in Euro. Please inquire first in that case.
In order to buy an item please click on the ‘Inquire About this Item’ Button. We will get back to you with all the tailored information for your purchase, including if you need it the shipping cost.
TERMS:
Sales Tax:
The sales tax is included in the selling price for US or France deliveries.
Other destinations please inquire with us.
Shipping:
Antiques will incur the actual shipping costs, noted for each article plus insurance as also noted.
Count on us to pack your purchase with the utmost care.
Shipping is at actual cost.
Returns:
We understand everyone’s right to a change of heart.
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our items, hence we will allow returns.
However the returns should be done no later then 3 Days after original reception of the article and will require the safe return of the item in the exact condition received.
Should the return be caused by a mistake on our part, all shipping fees will be refunded.
In other cases, the customer will be responsible for shipping charges, and insurance.
The item must be returned with the original carrier and in its original packaging, in a traceable manner.
Items with Ivory:
Please note all items sold with Ivory are in observance of the “CITES” Washington Agreement of 1973. Hence they were created more then 50 years ago.
A special note:
Unless ortherwise cited, all our items are antiques. The ‘all’ beauty of antiques is their age and their sense of coming from another time.
Therefore, SilverArtbyD&R presents to you pieces that come with a life and possibly visible indications of the sumptuous occasions under chandeliers and candlelight.
Remember this is of the past …and not the new …and the scars of the past only add to the character.
