SAVOIE Denis.
A history of sundials in the West. Gnomonics from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Beautiful Letters.
Regular price
€26,50
| N° d'inventaire | 25225 |
| Format | 15 x 21 cm |
| Détails | 312 p., very numerous color illustrations, paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251452319 |
800 ancient sundials are known and preserved in museums. There are tens of thousands of them in Europe, built between the Middle Ages and today. France alone has more than 32,000. The vast majority are still in operation on churches, in gardens, on public buildings, or on private homes.
In A History of Sundials in the West , Denis Savoie recalls the legacy of Greco-Roman gnomonics and then examines the medieval achievements that reflect the clear decline of astronomy in the West. A profound change began in the measurement of time at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, with the appearance of mechanical clocks and the abandonment of ancient hours. The development of mathematics, the spread of the first printed works in the 16th century, the increase in the precision of the dials on which clocks were now set, all these factors contributed to the massive diffusion of these instruments, which would for a long time remain the only way of knowing the time in towns and the countryside.
Sundials became an inexhaustible field of research, and many types were built, from luxurious pocket-sized portables to meridians in cathedrals and simple dials adorning facades. Even though the 19th century relegated them to the background, sundials never ceased to be both works of art, often adorned with mottoes, and scientific and educational instruments essential for understanding the movements of the Sun.
A unique synthesis of gnomonics, this richly illustrated History of Sundials allows us to discover all the facets of an instrument which dates back to the beginnings of astronomy.
In A History of Sundials in the West , Denis Savoie recalls the legacy of Greco-Roman gnomonics and then examines the medieval achievements that reflect the clear decline of astronomy in the West. A profound change began in the measurement of time at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, with the appearance of mechanical clocks and the abandonment of ancient hours. The development of mathematics, the spread of the first printed works in the 16th century, the increase in the precision of the dials on which clocks were now set, all these factors contributed to the massive diffusion of these instruments, which would for a long time remain the only way of knowing the time in towns and the countryside.
Sundials became an inexhaustible field of research, and many types were built, from luxurious pocket-sized portables to meridians in cathedrals and simple dials adorning facades. Even though the 19th century relegated them to the background, sundials never ceased to be both works of art, often adorned with mottoes, and scientific and educational instruments essential for understanding the movements of the Sun.
A unique synthesis of gnomonics, this richly illustrated History of Sundials allows us to discover all the facets of an instrument which dates back to the beginnings of astronomy.
In A History of Sundials in the West , Denis Savoie recalls the legacy of Greco-Roman gnomonics and then examines the medieval achievements that reflect the clear decline of astronomy in the West. A profound change began in the measurement of time at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, with the appearance of mechanical clocks and the abandonment of ancient hours. The development of mathematics, the spread of the first printed works in the 16th century, the increase in the precision of the dials on which clocks were now set, all these factors contributed to the massive diffusion of these instruments, which would for a long time remain the only way of knowing the time in towns and the countryside.
Sundials became an inexhaustible field of research, and many types were built, from luxurious pocket-sized portables to meridians in cathedrals and simple dials adorning facades. Even though the 19th century relegated them to the background, sundials never ceased to be both works of art, often adorned with mottoes, and scientific and educational instruments essential for understanding the movements of the Sun.
A unique synthesis of gnomonics, this richly illustrated History of Sundials allows us to discover all the facets of an instrument which dates back to the beginnings of astronomy.