Cross-cultural instruments: Chinese sundials in the Whipple Museum and other British collections

Britain is home to at least 40 portable sundials that were made in China around the 18th century. At first glance, there appears to be two distinctive traditions: some are made of boxwood and feature Chinese inscriptions, whereas others are made of brass and appear more consistent in design with European sundials. These features are a result of the socio-economic conditions of their makers. The boxwood sundials were made in Xin-An, a mountainous and landlocked county that was connected to the rest of China through centuries-old mercantile networks. On the other hand, the elaborate design of the brass sundials suggests a connection with the production of hybrid artefacts in Canton, which was the only port for SinoEuropean trade.

The 18th and 19th centuries were a period of intensifying global mercantile exchange and cross-cultural movements. These sundials are thus material embodiments of a period of changing political and cultural balance. Sundials from both categories carry features from both Chinese and European traditions. This hybridity of two knowledge traditions has been cast by historians as evidence of Eastern imitation of and convergence upon Western science.

In contrast, research showcased in this talk illustrates a more complex picture that moves away from discussions of originality in favour of cross-cultural production. Artisans in Xin-An and Canton incorporated traditional designs into ‘foreign’ forms. Even in the first Canton-made diptych dials, possibly a result of imitation, the sundials were no longer adjusted according to the local latitude, as was conventional for European diptych sundials, but by the time of year the users find themselves in.

Paying attention to the agency of Chinese artisans allows concepts such as tradition, foreignness and exotica to be challenged and defined in more nuanced ways. While these Chinese sundials formed part of scientific object collections that were foundational to the discipline of history of science, they have never been catalogued as a distinctive group.

Zhiyu Chen, a PhD student from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, will highlight three important and exceptional parts of the sundials’ history: their structure and function as both pragmatic and decorative objects; the story of the artisans and merchants responsible for their manufacture and distribution; and the social and political conditions that gave rise to their hybrid appearance and cross-cultural movement.