Dividers

Accession Number1986.008.0580

VesselNuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)

Datecirca 1620

DescriptionA set of bronze dividers from the wreck of the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. These dividers were likely used by the pilots on the ship and were used to plot distances on a chart. The arms have a serrated pattern cast into the upper halves, apparently to improve the user’s grip. Semi-circular interlocking hinges above the arms are joined at the top by a pin, and the arms pivot from this point. The design allows the dividers to be squeezed open from the sides of the curved hinges with a single hand. Although it is presumed that these shipboard dividers were for use in the pilot’s course-plotting tasks, similar devices were sometimes used by carpenters and other artisans as calipers.