ZACHARIAS LANDTECKS Neu inventierte GEOGRAPHISHE UNIVERSAL-ZEIG UND SCHLAG-UHR[:] ZACHARIAS LANDTECKS Nieuw Uytgevonde WEERELD-BEELDIGH WYS EN SLAG WERK.

Description

An interesting, attractive and very rare print depicting a remarkable universal clock purportedly developed by Nuremburg clock- and watchmaker Zacharias Landteck (1670-1740). Not to be confused with the vastly more common version attributing the clock to map- and instrument maker Johann Baptist Homann.

The central focus of the print is one face of Landteck’s clock, with accompanying German and Dutch text on either side that explains its operation. At the core of the clock’s face is a polar projection of the Northern Hemisphere, which, on the actual device, was a fixed enamel globe measuring approximately 10 cm in diameter (Dolz, pp. 36-37). This central globe was encircled by concentric rotating rings for time and calendar functions, with a dark-colored glass hemisphere moving across its surface to indicate nighttime. The clock was ingeniously designed to allow users to determine local time for any meridian, as well as the exact times and locations of sunrise and sunset for any given date in the Northern Hemisphere. More significantly, it demonstrated the crucial relationship between timekeeping and the determination of longitude, an essential aspect of navigation and geographic measurement.

According to the Universiteit Utrecht, this print is attributed to Johann Baptist Homann, with an estimated publication date around 1705. This dating aligns well with the stylistic elements of engraving and coloring, which bear a striking resemblance to another Homann publication, “Neu inventirte Geographische Universal-Zeig und Schlag-Uhr”. That print explicitly names Landteck as the builder rather than the inventor, raising an interesting question: why would Homann attribute authorship to Landteck in one instance while reserving credit for himself in another? The sequence in which these prints were produced remains uncertain, but what is clear is that this version is exceedingly rare—with only one known example appearing on the antiquarian market, offered by Jonathan Potter in 1994.

Landteck’s actual universal clock is also an elusive artifact. Dolz notes that only one surviving example is documented, reportedly sold at auction in 1955, though its current whereabouts are unknown. He instead based much of his research on a replica made in 1738 for Polish King Frederick August III. However, according to the Universiteit Utrecht, for many years it was believed that no original examples of Landteck’s world time clock still existed. That changed in 2005, when the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, successfully acquired a copy for its collection.

This print represents a significant historical artifact, both in terms of horology and early geographic instrumentation, capturing the innovative spirit of the early 18th century and the complex relationship between timekeeping, navigation, and cartography.