Description

RARE DUTCH GUNNERY RULE, 18th century, the two-sided rule made of brass   15-5/8” (40 cm) overall, pierced with a hanging hole.  Each of the four long edges is hand divided with a scale, viz., three very non linear ones, YZER (iron), divided from 0 to 125, STEEN (stone) 0 to 100, and LOOT (undoubtedly lead, now written “lood”) 0 to 125, plus one linear one R. DUYMEN (likely Rotterdam inches as duymen, or duimen, meaning thumbs, like the French pouces, and the length of twelve inches here measuring 312.5 mm, which is almost exactly the old Rotterdam foot), the inches subdivided progressively into a number of equal parts each to that inch’s numeral (thus for example the inch between 10 and 11 is divided into eleven equal parts).  The first unit on each of the three very nonlinear gunnery scales is subdivided, again very nonlinearly, from 0 to 32.  The scales relate the weights of cannonballs of various materials to their diameters, and thus to the cannonbore and the requisite charge.  Condition is fine noting a few spots and nicks.  

        We have had other gunnery rules: English,  German or Austrian, and Italian.  All are rare but Dutch ones particularly so.  A fine example.   $3500.