Details

Wooden circular Chinese divining or divination compass with magnetic needle in glass covered well in centre. There are chinese characters written in concentric circles over the entirety of the surface of the compass which has been signed with four chinese characters in red (the maker's name) on the base of the compass. [Note: divination magnetic compasses, made from as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (since circa 206BC), are still made today. They are used to determine auspicious sites for buildings and for holding events. It was only later, during the Song Dynasty in the 11th century, that magnetic compasses were adopted for navigation].