Brass and copper nautical compass on cardan joint signed DIRIGO from 1920s

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About the Item

Brass and copper nautical compass on gimbals and housed in its original wooden box with brass lid closing hooks, signed Eugene M. Sherman Seattle U.S.A.Trade Dirigo Mark of the 1920s. The compass consists of a cylindrical-shaped copper vessel, to the bottom of which is fixed a hard metal stem, on which rests the eight-twenty rose complete with goniometric circle properly constrained. Box size cm 19.2x19x11.5 - inches 7.5x7.5x4.5 - compass diameter cm 13.5 - inches 5.35. Bon état. Eugene M. Sherman born in Lexington in 1872 moved with his wife Alice in Bellevue in Washington state in 1911 opening a new business the Dirigo Compass Factory, "Dirigo" was the state motto of Maine, Eugene's home state, and translated to ""I direct." While Eugene was making compasses and other navigational instruments, his wife Alice was in charge of Bellevue's music scene. Skilled violinist, taught , and organized concerts music throughout the Bellevue area. Eugene shared his wife's love of music and, after retiring and selling the compass factory in 1944, devoted his time to making violins. Neighbors often heard Eugene and Alice playing duets on the porch of their house, trying out new instruments. The Greeks and the Romans were still unaware of the possibility of harnessing magnetic fields for orientation, while it seems that this possibility was already somewhat known to the Chinese: around 2600 B.C. Emperor Hoang-Ti was able to overcome Prince Tchi-Yeou in battle thanks to a "magic" chariot, the See-Nan (chariot pointing south). The emperor, thanks to this device, identified the enemy's escape route, despite the fact that the enemy had concealed it through a blanket of smoke: fixed on the chariot was a human-shaped wooden silhouette that rotated on itself and, with its arm outstretched, always pointed south (pointing south of course was also pointing north at the same time, but south was considered by the Chinese to be the most important cardinal point). The Chinese also used their discoveries related to magnetic fields as a form of entertainment and spectacle: they would throw magnetized arrows as if they were dice, and these would line up in a south-north direction as if by magic, which greatly impressed and amazed the spectators. The first 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 gimbal made its first appearance around the middle of the sec. XVI. An exact description is given in the short compendium "De la esfera y de la arte de navegar," by Martin Cortés (1551), which gives precise guidelines for the construction of the compass. To the refinements of the instrument can largely be attributed the great discoveries of new lands, from the middle of the sec. XV onwards. The last photo is the gift box.

Dimensions:
Height: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Width: 7.4 in (18.8 cm)Depth: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass
Period:
1920-1929
Date of Manufacture:
1920
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1020238877952

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