Wooden diptych with an extraordinary map of Europe and North Africa in lieu of the gazetteer typically found on diptych dials. One of 2 latch hooks missing.
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This diptych sundial (a type of sundial with two hinged tablets) was made in 1513 by Erhard Etzlaub (d. 1532). Etzlaub was a German instrument maker and cartographer who printed maps especially intended for pilgrims, showing the best routes to Rome. Diptych sundials could be used in a range of latitudes. For that purpose, they usually included a list of cities with their respective latitudes (called a gazetteer). But instead of a gazetteer, this sundial includes a map showing Western Europe and the North of Africa, which could be used to set up the instrument for the traveler’s location.
