The mellow golds and browns of our Brass Armillary suggest traditional elegance
The pale finish will gently age to a darker rich brown over time. Contact us today to discuss your Armillary Sphere.
Please find our price list here or contact us to discuss your armillary sphere.
Delivery costs start at $300
Brass emerged as Capel Tenison’s initial experimentation material when he conceived the idea of crafting an armillary sphere back in the noughties. As the founder and owner of Border Sundials, he explains, “I chose brass because I felt it was the most traditional finish.”
With a rich history in sculpture dating back to ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt, brass has been a favored material for decorative objects and statues. During the Renaissance, renowned artists such as Donatello and Ghiberti embraced brass for its malleability and distinctive golden hue. In contemporary times, artists continue to explore its versatility, creating intricate and expressive sculptures.
Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, holds a prominent place among alloys due to its unique properties, making it an excellent choice for armillary spheres. Boasting a combination of strength and hardness, brass is corrosion-resistant and exhibits high tensile strength, allowing it to withstand higher pressures while remaining malleable.
When you select a brass armillary sphere, be prepared for a captivating transformation in color over time. Initially arriving with a dark golden hue, it gradually mellows into a rich chocolatey brown as it ages. This change is a result of the natural process of ‘patination,’ where a thin layer forms on the brass surface due to exposure to oxygen in the air. Many appreciate this evolving color, finding the dark brown particularly well-suited to their garden’s color scheme. The strong, dark arcs and rings of the Brass Armillary Sphere remain easily visible against lighter backgrounds such as the sky.
Affordability is another advantage offered by brass. Border Sundials’ range of brass armillary spheres features an elegant, stripped-back design without arrowheads, tails, tropic circles, or polar circles. While these elements can be added if desired, the simplicity of the design also provides more space for longer engravings on the horizontal band.
