Large English nautical magnetic compass in brass and glass early 1900s

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About the Item

Large brass and glass nautical magnetic compass from the early 1900s, mounted on custom-made oak and brass board. Compass diameter cm 24.5 - inch 9.4, height with base cm 21 - inch 8.3, table width cm 36 - inch 14.2. Good condition, small crack on compass rose. The compass is consisting of a cylindrical-shaped brass vessel called a mortar, on which fund is fixed a hard metal stem, called the sensing element, on which the suitably constrained wind rose is placed so that zero coincides with the magnetic polarity. To minimize friction, the mortar was filled with low-freezing point liquid, also having the purpose of quickly damping any oscillations of the complex and closed at the top by a strong protective glass. 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. The first hints in Europe on the use of instruments using magnetic fields for orientation are dated back to the late twelfth century, especially thanks to the knowledge brought by merchants and sailors after contacts with the Arabs: we find hints in the work by Alexander Neckam "De nominibus utensilium" and in the works by Guyot de Provins, where the magnet is called "sailor's friend." Even the inventory of a Sicilian ship of 1200's, the San Nicolò, refers to the presence on board of a magnet and a "ligno compass," that is a wooden compass.

Dimensions:
Height: 8.3 in (21.09 cm)Diameter: 9.4 in (23.88 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
1900
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1020236297432

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