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Brass nautical compass signed DIRIGO Eugen M. Sherman Seattle USA 1920

About the Item

Nautical compass on gimbal signed DIRIGO Eugen M. Sherman Seattle USA 1920s, mounted on custom-made walnut and brass board. Eight-twenty rose complete with protractor circle. The compass consists of a cylindrical brass and bronze container, called a mortar, to the bottom of which is fixed a hard metal stem, on which the compass rose is properly constrained so that the zero coincides with the magnetic polarity. Compass diameter cm 13.4- inch 5.6, board width cm 21.2- inch 8.6, height cm 13.5- inch 5.65. Good condition, compass rose slightly worn. The earliest hints of the use in Europe of instruments that harnessed magnetic force for navigational orientation date back to the late 12th century, mainly due to the knowledge brought by Arab merchants and navigators: we find hints of this in Alexander Neckam's work "De nominibus utensilium" and in the works of Guyot de Provins in which the magnet is referred to as the "sailor's companion." The inventory of a 13th-century Sicilian ship, the San Nicolo, also mentions the presence of a magnet and a "ligno compass" on board.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.6 in (14.23 cm)Diameter: 5.6 in (14.23 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1920
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1020235045312

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