The Johann Carl Landeck Pocket Sundial circa 1685-1700 ©
Discovery: In 2022, a small pocket-sized sundial in tooled leather case appeared in a small consignment auction in Indiana. The quality and beauty of the sundial were stunning, strongly suggesting it was a rare and special piece of history. The engraving on the back of the sundial was in German, with a name at the bottom cut in fine script, “J C Landeck.” The author had previously seen early pocket sundials, but never one as elaborate as the “J C Landeck” sundial. The sundial was made for a wealthy citizen in 17th century Germany, undoubtedly serving its owner well as both a clock/watch and a luxury item that validated his position in society. Most of the known, early pocket sundials were simpler in construction and less ornate, making the Landeck sundial appear almost unique in its complexity and beauty. The sundial’s octagon frame measured about 2.75" across the flats, with a hinged leather case to protect it through the many years and miles it has traveled; it has been well protected, surviving for over three centuries in almost perfect condition.
Figure No.1: The rare Johann Carl Landeck sundial as it appeared at auction. The sundial is firmly seated inside a tooled leather case with hinged lid. When first seen, the author knew it was old, but didn’t realize how really old and special it was.
Johann Carl Landeck: Landeck was an important early German instrument and clock maker in Nuremberg, Germany. He was born December 16, 1636, in Nuremberg and died there on July 15, 1712. His parents were Andreas Landeck (1589-1663) and Marie Kalek Landeck. Johann was one of nine children and was taught the trade of watch/clock making [and lock making according to some sources] by his father when he reached the age of ten. When he completed his training, he toured Europe for six years, working in Holland, Denmark, Holstein and Prussia before returning home to Nuremberg in 1662. His father, who was referred to as Nuremberg’s “city clock maker” in some records, died in 1663, and Johann became Nuremberg’s next “city clockmaker.” The translated German records may have meant he became recognized as a master clockmaker in the city, rather than the “city’s clockmaker,” since the translation can be interpreted either way.
Landeck was famous for making the first pendulum clocks in Nuremberg, using the design first described by Christaan Huygens, and was highly regarded for his mechanical skills as an instrument and clockmaker in Nuremberg. One source stated Landeck also made locks, both keyed locks and possibly gun locks at times. He was also famous for his construction of astronomical instruments, usually in the form of sundials, astrolabes, and astronomical clocks. His work for astronomer Georg Christoph Eimmart (1638-1705) in Nuremberg is well documented. Landeck made a pendulum clock for Eimmart, and with Eimmart’s instructions an astronomical clock that has survived and is now in the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg. Landeck also constructed an azimuthal circle for Eimmart, and a new style of equatorial sundial, and probably other instruments that have not survived.
Landeck’s Known Work: Very few clocks and astronomical instruments made by Landeck have survived. There is an astronomical clock built for Georg Eimmart that is now in the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg. Landeck’s other known, surviving works are large clocks built into major buildings and churches in Germany. These works were all completed between 1683 and 1693 and include the following:
1. Clock tower in parish church at Hallstadt near Banberg.
2. Cathedral clock in Bamberg.
3. Clock in men’s drinking hall, Ratstrinkstube at Rothenburg.
Figure No.2: The Landeck sundial as it appears when taken out of its case and set on a hard surface for use. Note the small compass in the center of the base plate, critical for proper alignment and accuracy within 10 minutes. Near the base it states “Horizontal Sun & Moon” to indicate it works in both sun light and strong moon light.
Figure No.3: The sundial’s hinged arm is raised, tightening the string “gnomon” that casts a shadow on the dial face to mark the time. The small compass in the center of the base plate is clearly visible in this view and still works correctly after 300 years of service.
The Landeck Pocket Sundial/Moondial: The newly discovered pocket sundial/moondial is clearly signed by Johann Landeck and adds a very significant piece to his few surviving instruments. The author had multiple correspondences with two knowledgeable historians in Nuremberg, Germany, regarding the pocket sundial, Mr. Hans Gaab, and Mr. Willy Bachmann of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chronometrie, or German Society for Clocks. They described the Landeck instrument as a combination sundial/moondial and provided instructions on how to use it:
“If you look at the sundial [xxx] you see three rings. On the first one is written: Horzonidal Soll & Luna: Horizontal dial for sun and moon. This ring shows the roman numbers from III up to XII and then again from I to VII. This ring is fixed. If you use the dial as a sundial you can find the local time on this ring, if the dial is correctly positioned.”
“The second ring is also fixed. You can find the text "Aet Lunii": age of the moon. The Moon needs about 28 days to circle the earth, so you find the numbers from 1 to 28 on this ring, meaning the age of the moon (12 means full moon, 6 and 18 are half-moons).”
“The third ring is not fixed. It shows two times red numbers from 1 to 12. The number 12 at the lefthand side is here fixed [pointed] at day 24. So here and on the opposite side you find screws, which are used to fix this inner ring. Once it is correctly fixed, you can find the local time on the red scale with the help of the shadow of the thread caused by the moon.”
The two Nuremberg experts on early clocks and astronomical instruments described the Landeck pocket sundial as rare and special. Neither man had seen a similar type/style sundial in all their years of study. Comments from the two men [translated from German] include the following:
“All I can say about this is that you can find the name JC Landeck on the back of the sundial. Landeck is very well known, but only very few of his works survived. No other sundial like this is known. So we can't compare it to another sundial from him.”
“Because there are no other portable sundials of Landeck known, it seems at least to me impossible to find a more exact date. Landeck was born in 1636 and died 1712. that is why I dated the sundial ‘around 1700’.”
“So here I can only quote Mr. Bachmann: He is working for the DGC (German Chronometrical Society) for about 30 years and has up to now not seen a sundial like this, where you can rotate the scale for the time. Moondials are not very rare, but the construction of the Landeck sundial seems to be a rare construction. “
Figure No.4: The bottom [underside] of the highly decorated Landeck sundial records the latitudes of major European cities to assist in adjusting the sundial when traveling, At the bottom of the list is Landeck’s signature, “J C Landeck,” documenting the sundial as his work.
The Landeck pocket sundial/moondial was designed to tell time [within 10 minutes] in both sun light, and in moon light when at or near full moon. It was an expensive instrument made on contract for a wealthy Nuremberg citizen, or perhaps royalty, since the common man could not afford such luxuries. It differs from most known Nuremberg sundials in the adjustments it allows to tell time during the day or night. The sundial uses an intricate, fully engraved tip-up arm with a string gnomon [pronounced “no-mon”] to make a shadow on the calibrated base plate that marks the time. A small compass in the center of the instrument allows proper magnetic pole alignment for accurate readings. The small instrument is octagon in shape, measures about 2-3/4” across the flats, and has all its surfaces beautifully engraved and gilded. It is an exquisite instrument, beautifully made and uniquely designed by Johann Carl Landeck, perhaps at the instruction of a very wealthy patron in Nuremberg such as Georg Christoph Eimmart. It is one of the very few surviving examples of Landeck’s work, and the only small, hand-held example of his work known to exist. The sundial’s specific design has not been seen on any other early Nuremberg sundial to date. It is truly a rare and beautiful treasure that documents the knowledge, ingenuity, and mechanical skills of the early German instrument makers and astronomers in Nuremberg back in the 1600s.