Images(3)

Sundial

Date1785-1821

Maker Goldsmith Chandlee

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Winchester

MediumPewter

DimensionsOW: 5 1/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1995-91

DescriptionSundial of rectangular form, centering a triangular sun directional (gnomon), the dial engraved with Roman numerals with a stellar device decoration at the lower section, the center of the dial with the raised inscription "CHANDLEE WINCHESTER"
Label TextThis handsome sundial is remarkable both as a Virginia-made piece of pewter and as a scientific instrument. Goldsmith Chandlee, its maker, was a talented and versatile artisan who worked in a variety of related trades prior to his death in 1821. Despite his unusual first name, Chandlee was not so much a metalsmith as an instrument maker. He is especially noted for his tall case clocks and surveying compasses.
Although sundials appear to be simple objects, they are sophisticated devices that demand scientific and technical precision to function correctly. The design and placement of a sundial must include calculations of local latitude and the direction of true north, among other factors.
Two parts of a three-part Chandlee mold for casting sundials of this pattern are in the collections of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The mold is for the upper face of the dial, and it shows that the gnomon (or angular upright element) was cast as an integral part with the base plate.

InscribedLater inscription written on back (in unknown material) "Baltimore Septr 6 183[2?]"
Markings"CHANDLEE WINCHESTER" cast in relief on face.
ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Purchased at his estate auction conducted by Sotheby's in Charlottesville, Virginia, on May 26, 1995. Previous history: The Miller Family, Eastern Shore, Maryland; R. E. Crawford Antiques, Crozier, Virginia.

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