A Photo Collection of Beautiful Painted Wall Sundials
By John Carmichael (editor) and Dave Bell (webmaster)
This page was last updated 3 August, 2008
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Painted Wall Sundial of the Month
Dial 255
“The Birnau Chuch Southeast Dial”
By unknown maker
l'eglise de Birnau, Lac de Constance (Bodensee) Germany
2003

Introduction

These are some of the most beautiful sundials you will ever see. This non-profit educational website features a collection of all suitable available images of what we think are the world's best and most beautiful painted wall sundial photos. We are not concentrating on the scientific and mathematical properties of sundials. Instead, we are focusing on the artwork and paint as a wonderful media for making sundials and the unique beauty of painted wall sundials. We hope that these photographs will inspire people to make more of them in the future, especially in countries where few exist. Also, we want to preserve good photographic records since the dials will surely deteriorate as time passes. Most of the ones that do exist are old, faded, cracked and damaged. And most are simple, unadorned and comparatively uninteresting, compared to the ones in our collection. Because several thousand painted wall sundials exist, and so many of them are poor examples, we must limit our collection to only the most beautiful and interesting ones that we find. We began this website in the fall of 2006 based on photos that I began collecting years earlier. Since then, we have added many new photos sent to us by generous people.

Their History, Locations & Makers

So far, most of the painted sundials in our image archive are from Italy, France, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic where they have had a long tradition and they abound. These countries have several talented artists and dialists who specialize in making them as their full-time business. In the past twenty years there has been a large increase in interest and construction of new painted wall sundials in those countries, but unfortunately, painted wall sundials are still relatively unknown, and few are found or are being made in the rest of the world. So we are encouraging the construction of new ones from countries where few exist.

Their Advantages

Sundials that are painted on walls have several advantages over traditional garden sundials on pedestals. Unlike common metal or stone sundials, they can be colorful and can be the least expensive and easiest to construct. All you need is a design, painting supplies, a gnomon and a painter. Simple versions are the poor man's sundial. Of course, hiring a professional painter or building a painter's scaffold could increase the cost. They can be more practical and useful than traditional horizontal sundials because they are vertical can be seen from a distance. Since they're usually high up on a wall, they are more vandal-resistant and may avoid being shaded by nearby trees or buildings so they function for more time during the day. Surprisingly, some of the oldest painted wall sundials in our collection date back to the 18th century. Their paint is faded but is still visible, and they still function!

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the many people who have given us permission to use their photographs and who generously sent us new photos, information, and helpful suggestions. Special thanks go to Paolo Alberi (Italy), Riccardo Anselmi (Italy), Mario Arnaldi (Italy), Gambaro Alessandro (Italy), Roger Bailey (Canada), Douglas Bateman (England), Diego Bonata (Italy), Angelo Brazzi (Italy), Roberto Cappelletti (Italy), Dario Cerea ( Italy), Jean-Paul Cornec (France), Mike Cowham (England), Friedheim Dietz (Germany), Fer de Vries (Holland), Valentino Falcone (Italy), Gianni Ferrari (Italy), Alain Ferreira (France), Roberto Finozzi (Italy), Fabio Garnero (Italy), Antonio Giorgi (Italy), Carlo Heller (Germany), Claude Hinsinger (France), Peter Jacobs (Germany), Reinhold Kriegler (Germany), Serge Lagier (France), Michel Lalos (France), Peter Lindner (Germany), Ralf Meyer (Germany), Lucio Maria Mora (Italy), Edley McKnight (USA), Giorgio Mesturini (Italy), Gerhard Mounet-Lipp (USA), Paolo Moratello (Italy), Mac Oglesby (USA), Remy Potey (France), Renzo Righi (Italy), Joel Robic (France), Dominique & Patrick Robo (France), Daniel Roth (Germany), Karlheinz Schaldach (Germany), Karl Schwarzinger (Austria), Robert Sylvester (England), Guido Tonello (Italy), and Enio Vanzin (Italy).

We hope you enjoy the website, John Carmichael & Dave Bell

Note: We are only posting sundials that are painted on walls or on panels attached to walls. We are not including stained glass, mosaic or painted ceramic wall dials. To see a collection of these types of wall dials, see our sister website at: www.stainedglasssundials.com

Contact:

John L. Carmichael
Sundial Sculptures
925 E. Foothills Dr.
Tucson AZ 85718-4716
USA
Tel: 520-6961709
Email: John Carmichael (author)
Email : Dave Bell (webmaster)

My Websites:

(business) Sundial Sculptures: http://www.sundialsculptures.com
(educational) Chinook Trail Sundial: http://advanceassociates.com/Sundials/COSprings/
(educational) Earth & Sky Equatorial Sundial: http://advanceassociates.com/Sundials/Earth-Sky_Dial/
(educational) My Painted Wall Sundial: http://www.advanceassociates.com/WallDial
(educational) Painted Wall Sundials: http://advanceassociates.com/WallDial/PWS_Home.html
(educational) Stained Glass Sundials: http://www.stainedglasssundials.com
(educational) Sundial Cupolas, Towers & Chimneys: http://StainedGlassSundials.com/CupolaSundial/index.html


This page has received visits, since 19 November 2006

Created on ... November 19, 2006

Modified on ... December 28, 2006