Articles
Small bronze midday barrel*, originally mounted on a sundial, from the 18th century.
This cannon is in good general condition, in its original condition. We only have the barrel of the whole (see last photo, Musée des Arts et Métiers for the complete system).
Please note: some shocks and scratches, wear and tear over time, see photos.
* A noon cannon or solar cannon is a cannon used to warn of the noon hour and to adjust personal watches at times when they were insufficiently regulated. It may be a real cannon assigned to this use, as in Nice where a cannon of this type and its daily detonation are part of the living environment of the inhabitants. For use limited to a household, the principle of an autonomously triggered noon cannon was invented at the end of the 18th century by combining a miniature cannon and a magnifying glass on a tray, a sundial generally being added to adjust the position of the magnifying glass above the barrel. When the time comes, that is to say when the sun passes the meridian, if it was hot enough, the concentration of its light sets fire to the small quantity of powder placed on the barrel.
