Portable sundial and compass, made from varnished yellow wood with brass trimmings, set with a metal compass with glass cover at one end. Both the sundial and compass are marked with in red and black ink of traditional Chinese system of time-marking, either 12 'shichen' (a unit of two hours) or "eight characters" (bazi). The maker's details are marked on the underside: Fang Xiu-shui from Xiu-Li county in Anhui (Xin-an) province.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
