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Nautical magnetic compass made USA 1930s original wooden box

About the Item

Nautical magnetic compass, made in the USA in the 1930s. Bon état. Housed in its original box with wooden slot lid and mounted on gimbal. Box measures 12x12x8.5 cm - inches 4.8x4.8x3.4.Good condition signs of use on box. The compass consists 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. The magnetic needle is said to have been used in China as early as 2634 BCE. Ancient Chinese annals report, in fact, of a chariot on which there were a number of human-like figures with their arms stretched forward pointing south, that is, the most important cardinal point for the Chinese. A precise description of such a chariot is found only in the reign of Emperor Hian-tsoung (806-820 AD), while the first mentions of the magnet's properties appear in a 2nd-century AD Chinese dictionary. The earliest historical records of the use of magnetic directive force in Europe date back to the late sec. XII or early XIII and attribute the exploitation of the properties of the magnet to the Amalfitans. The news that they had invented the compass, given by the Panormite and repeated by Flavio Biondo, gave rise to the legend of a nonexistent Flavio Gioia of Amalfi, who in 1302 allegedly built the first compass. Lo strumento si sarebbe diffuso nel Mediterraneo e sarebbe poi stato importato nei paesi nordici. The last photo is the gift box.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 3.4 in (8.64 cm)Width: 4.8 in (12.2 cm)Depth: 4.8 in (12.2 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1930
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1020238729312

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