103087 | GERMANY. Augsburg. Engraved brass and wood Perpetual Calendar.

103087  |  GERMANY. Augsburg. Engraved brass and wood Perpetual Calendar. Issued circa 1675 (80mm x 60mm x 9mm, 45.01 g).

 

Three pieces in brass, with two disks and backing hand engraved and fully functioning; left disk: various bands with text and applicable cutout to reveal the corresponding information when spun: "FEST VNDE EVERTAG" (feasts and their days), "Monath des Jahrs" (months of the year), "Sonen lauff" (running sun sign [zodiac]), and "leng Tag / leng Nacht" (length of day/night); right disk: one band with text and applicable cutout to reveal the corresponding information when spun: "Perpetuum Calendarium", with central panel reading downward at 90º angle, the days of the week (Sont, Mont, Dingst, Mitw, Donnerst, Freyt, Sam), along with their respective symbols (☼, ☽, ♂︎, ☿, ♃, ♀︎, ♄); backing: below left disk, engraving pertaining to saints' days and festivals, the beginning of each zodiac sign, a depiction of the zodiac sign, and numbers pertaining to the hours of day/night; below right disk, circular band with the numbers 1 through 31, representing the day in the month in question; charming floral-like scrollwork in the margins.

 

Cf. Numismagram item 102676 (for a similar issue from around the same period and region); cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) accession 03.21.70 (for a similar example of Dutch origin); cf. British Museum accession 1888,1201.332 (for a similar example); cf. Christie's 3025 (27 March 2013), lot 3 (for a similar example of Dutch origin, which realized a hammer of £3,500 [~$4,300, plus buyer's fee]). Choice Very Fine. Some minor staining of the brass near the screws; otherwise quite pleasing and fully intact. A very rare survivor of the type, much more so as a one-sided dual-disked piece mounted to wood, as opposed to the many others of the type, which usually feature the disks on opposite sides from one another.

 

Though manners of marking the days are seemingly ubiquitous now, with not just printed calendars on nearly every wall, but at one's fingertips in the form of smartphones and watches, this certainly wasn't always the case, especially centuries ago. As such, perpetual calendars like this example allowed the bearer the instant ability to know vital stats about that time of year, such as approximate sunrise and sunset, length of day and night, beginning of the next zodiac sign, and what day of the week it was. Similar to the various "skins" and cases for one's smartphone, these perpetual calendars also had hand engraving to make them unique for their respective owner. In the case of this example, a backing upon wood to help it further live up to the rigors of time spent in one's pocket.

 

On account of the first days of each zodiac sign, it becomes obvious that this example was produced in a time and region that still adhered to the Julian calendar, which steadily fell out of sync with the Gregorian calendar adopted in 1582 by decree of Pope Gregorius XIII. It is likely that this calendar dates to the latter part of the 17th century in Protestant Germany, as Prussia had already adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1610, and Catholic-leaning states in Germany had adopted it between 1583 and 1585, just after the papal decree. Augsburg also seems likely as a city of manufacture, as one of the saints' days referenced is that of Ulrich, the patron saint of Augsburg, whose feast day is 4 July, as mentioned here.

 

Upload: 17 February 2025.

 

Sorry, this item is no longer available.