made in England
An octant is a navigational instrument used for measuring angles necessary for determining a ship's position at sea. This is a detail from a wooden octant made in England around 1750. The octant is unsigned.
The detail shows the boxwood arc and, at the top, an ivory plate inscribed 'G.E. ABS., [the initials of a later owner] 1796'.
The earliest octants were made of mahogany and had diagonal scales on boxwood, as in this example. The fittings were of brass, and the inlaid ivory plate carried the owner's name, or - as here - the maker's inscription.
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