The gilt dial is incised throughout with figures and inscriptions in
engraving of the very finest quality, as is evidenced in the
illustrations. The frontispiece is surmounted at its center by the
crowned double eagle of the House of Hapsburg, indicating the identity
of the sovereign in whose reign it was made, Emperor Francis I or the
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Below the eagle at either side are
flying cherubs supporting ribands with inscriptions. Centered at the
bottom of the frontispiece immediately above the chapter rings is the
moving silvered orb representing the sun. Surrounding it is a tableau of
the Holy Trinity, with the Virgin Mary being crowned by Christ holding a
cross at the left and God with a sword in hand at the right, and a dove
representing the Holy Spirit hovering over the Virgin's head. Father S.
X. Winters, S.J., considers it reminiscent of the triptych "The
Coronation of the Virgin" by Fra Lippo Lippi.
[Illustration: Figure 10.--DIAGRAM OF the dial plate.]
[Illustration: Figure 11.--DIAL PLATE of the Borghesi clock.]