Diptych dial. This is a heavily varnished boxwood dial, consisting of two leaves that fold together when not in use. Leaf Ia features a proverb, in Chinese characters, relating to the passage of time through a person's life: 'As Sun rising' and 'Stop the blossoms on the stream flowing away in front of me'. Leaf Ib carries a vertical dial marked with Chinese characters. Two further red characters above the dial read 'Western type'. Leaf IIa displays the horizontal dial, numbered in Chinese.

There are two rings with black and red characters around the central inset compass: the inner has four characters for the cardinal points; the outer is divided to the 24 directions of the feng-shui (geomantic) compass and is named by the 12 animals and 12 elements. The compass is grey metal and marked with a meridian line. The needle, reddened at its South end, is detached from the pivot. The glass plate is held in place by a red ring. A string gnomon, for latitude 37° North, is attached between the two leaves. Leaf IIb gives the town, district and name of the maker in Chinese characters: 'Xin-An, Xiu-Li, Fang Xiu-Shui'. The leaves are held together with brass hinges.

For more information regarding this dial please refer to the OUP & NMM catalogue, 'Sundials at Greenwich'.