divination compass

Portable diptych dial, a sundial and moon dial with two leaves connected with string when unfolded. Made of varnished wood with brass fittings. The exterior top leaf has a revolving lunar volvelle marked in black ink with 30 days and 12 shichen, a unit of two hours. The inner top leaf features a vertical dial. The inner bottom leaf shows a horizontal dial and set with a metal compass with glass cover in the centre, encircling the compass at cardinal points are three directions marked in black and the South marked in red. On both sides of the bottom leaf are marked with 24 solar terms, jieqi. The underside has Chinese inscriptions giving instructions on how to use this combined sundial and moon dial, followed by the maker's name and the place where he came from: Fang Xiu-shui from Xiu-Li county in Anhui, Xin-an, province.

See Stephan Feuchtwang (1974) An Anthropological Analysis of Chinese Geomancy Vientiane: Editions Vithagna. Part Two 'The indigenous model' explains the significance of the several rings and the symbols in them.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
14.77
Date
late 19th century
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 80 x 75 x 56 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; brass; glass; string
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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