Butterfield silver sundial compass, late 17th century, compass with 8-way lice in good condition, look at pictures, they speak for themselves, very rare object. Michael Butterfield, Paris (1635-1724) was a leading manufacturer of scientific instruments. He was a supplier of instruments at the Royal French Observatory; inventor of a simple microscope type. His origin is unknown although het was born in England around 1634/35 and that he came in France around 1663 and probably settled in Paris in 1677 with the workshop ' arms of England ', Faubourg St-Germain, rue Neuve-des-Fossés. In 1680, he received the title of "Engineer of the King". He was known to the Academy of Sciences, namely by the inventors Huygens and Cassini. He received a coat of arms in 1698 and was a free man of the Founders Corporation in 1702.   He provided instruments to Tsar Peter the Great of Russia in 1717. One of the few known manufacturers of lodestones; graphometers, quadrants, graduated rulers, sectors, proportional compasses and various types of sundials. He is known for the Sundial 'Butterfield' type, widely copied by his contemporaries. He died in Paris in 1724. Literature: Hester Higton (2002) “Cadrans solaires à Greenwich”: catalogue of sundials, night dials and quadrants of the Maritime Museum of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Page 438 References: Alison D. Morrison-low, Sara J. Sechner and Paolo Brenni (2016) Comment les instruments scientifiques ont changé de mains. Series: Instruments et collections scientifiques, Volume 5, page 126 Robert Fox, Anthony Turner (1998) Luxe et consommation sous l'Ancien Régime Paris: études sur l'histoire de la main-d'œuvre qualifiée.