The portable sundial was indeed an elite object, a status symbol that signaled both the owner’s learning and their command over time, much like the one Jaques draws from his pocket in As You Like It to mock the fleeting nature of human life.

The portable sundial was indeed an elite object, a status symbol that signaled both the owner’s learning and their command over time, much like the one Jaques draws from his pocket in As You Like It to mock the fleeting nature of human life.