Lund astronomical clock

It is part of a group of related medieval astronomical clocks found in the area around the south Baltic Sea.

Between 1909 and 1923, it was restored by the Danish clockmaker Julius Bertram-Larsen and the Swedish architect responsible for the upkeep of the cathedral, Theodor Wåhlin [sv].

The clock displays a medieval concept of time, based on a geocentric idea of the universe, and is decorated with religious symbols.

[5][6] A detail not found in any other of these clocks is two wooden knights who also function as jacquemarts, striking their swords against each other to mark the full hour.

It has therefore been speculated that the jacquemarts in Lund are a reflection of English influences conveyed via the Queen of Denmark, Philippa of England, who is known to have been personally engaged in the upkeep of the cathedral.

[7] It is possible that the clock was manufactured in order to be installed in time for the 300th anniversary celebration of the consecration of the cathedral's main altar in 1423.

[9] It was previously thought, due to a more superficial stylistic comparison Wåhlin made with the choir stalls of Lund Cathedral, to have been from the 1380s.

[15][16] The Danish clockmaker Julius Bertram-Larsen (1854–1935) had visited Lund Cathedral, first as a youth and later as a grown man in 1907, and saw some of the remains of the astronomical clock.

[17] Bertram-Larsen repaired and added missing pieces to the mechanism, while Wåhlin supplied designs for the exterior of the restored clock.

Anders Olson [sv] supplied the new sculptures to complement the medieval parts, guided by a description of the clock made in the 16th century.

[20][21][22] In order to raise funds for the project, Wåhlin held a lecture about the clock and its history in Stockholm in 1915, and invited the Crown Prince, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, as well as the heads of several cultural institutions.

For the occasion, Wåhlin had also commissioned the Danish sculptor Niels Hansen to make an 80 centimetres (31 in) tall model of the proposed restored clock, which was demonstrated at the lecture.

[26] To the left, a spiral staircase connects the upper with the lower part of the structure, as well as with the entrance to the rooms behind, where the elaborate mechanism is located.

One of the hands, decorated with a depiction of the Sun, tells the hour of the day; the clockface is divided into 24 sections marked with Roman numerals from one to twelve, twice.

These correlations are measured precisely for the location of Lund Cathedral; if the clock would be moved to the north or south, the black and red fields would not be usable.

"[33] It is also possible to determine approximately when there is a solstice, as well as the sunshine duration each day, again with the help of the ecliptic and using the white lines painted on the face of the clock.

Like other medieval astronomical clocks, its decoration reflected a profoundly religious, Christian idea of the universe in which God and the saints were superior to not only Earth and humanity, but also to time itself and the cosmos as a whole.

Such figures also exist in the similar astronomical clocks in Stralsund and Doberan, where they hold banners with their names: Ptolemy, Alfonso X of Castile, Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi and Hali, clockwise from top left.

[44][45] Wåhlin thought that the sculpture now considered to be Abu Ma'shar was a representation of a Mongol or Chinese astronomer, either the Duke of Zhou, Ulugh Beg or Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, who was employed by Hulagu Khan.

[47][48] This "devotional procession" is a reconstruction—the sculptures were made by Anders Olson and the face of one of the kings is probably a self-portrait of him—but based on earlier descriptions and a drawing of the original, medieval clock.

[49] It can be interpreted as a symbol of people from all the three continents known to medieval Europeans paying homage to God, the Lord of Earth and Heaven alike.

To the left is a statuette depicting Chronos in the form of an old man; he points a long stick which indicates the current day of the year.