A Geographic Horizontal Sundial By Samuel Saunders

A fine and historically interesting George II bronze geographic horizontal sundial made by Samuel Saunders in around 1730.
The sundial plate,15 inches in diameter, is fitted with a solid bronze gnomon set at 51 degrees. To the center is engraved a 16-point compass rose enclosed by a double ring engraved with the direction of the points and around this an unfurled banner engraved with the names of 15 locations around the globe with their respective solar noon position (XII) in relation to the local time shown by the sundial.
Chapter I. Mexico, New York, Cape Farewel, Tenerif, London, Constantinopl, Ispahan and Fort St George.
Chapter II. Charles Town (Charlston, South Carolina), Corua & Flores, Dublin, Rome, Muscow, Surrat and Pekin in China.
Fort St. George (White Town) is a city on the coast of Chennai, India, founded in 1639 and the place of the first English fortress in India.
Corua & Flores are western islands of the Azores with Corvo Island being the smallest and northernmost island of the archipelago.
The perimeter time chapter is divided into single minute intervals with fleur-de-lys marking the half hours. The three main chapters on the dial are separated by a decorative oak-leaf border, used typically by the London instrument makers of the period.
On the south side of the plate is engraved an elaborate armorial crest of the Talbot family incorporating a shield inhabited by three dog heads and surmounted by a close helmet and another Talbot amongst fine scrolling foliage.
The dial is signed on its northern side by the maker, S. Saunders LONDINI (fecit) .
The overall condition of the dial is excellent with all of the fine engraving readable. The circumference has five areas of very slight deformation of approximately 5cm in length and less than 2mm out of the original curvature.
The maker of this sundial, Samuel Saunders, was a well-known and prolific London instrument maker. He was apprenticed to Jonathan Roberts in the Broderers’ Company, 1699, turned over to John England in Stationers’ Company in 1703 and freed by patrimony in 1708 in Masons’ Company. He died in 1743. According to literary sources, Saunders was working for John Rowley, Instrument Maker to King George I, and the offered sundial includes many stylistic features typical of John Rowley’s workshop and of Thomas Wright, his successor. These include the form of decorative scrolls, the truncated pyramid gnomon supporters and selection of locations listed in the geographic belt.
With thanks to Maciej Lose of British Sundial Society for the cataloguing of this fine sundial.
Note: By M. Lose: Samuel Saunders. A Study of a London Sundial Maker. BSS Bulletin No. 1 & 2, Vol. 24, March & June 2012.