Brass and Mahogany Sextant England 19th Century

Hamburg 1837 - 1862

Sextant "D. Filby Hamburg" in ebonized wood, brass and bone, vernier with adjustment screw, three colored filters for the fixed mirror and four for the mobile one, sighting telescope with optics. Contained in a wooden box in mahogany.

XVIII Century - from 1701 to 1800

Brass alidade for a praetorian tablet, consisting of a flat rod, called a ruler, at the ends of which two pinnules with a pin for locking are hinged. Contained in an original leather and suede case on the inside.

XIX Century - from 1801 to 1900

Silvered metal round sundial with gnomon; it is decorated with metal roses along the profile with a small turquise in the middle; supported by a wooden base decorated with silvered and embossed shear plate leafy motifs. On the base there is a sundial on which ther is a coat of arm. Made as a decorative object.

V

Sextant with brass frame, vernier with adjusting screw and microscope for reading, three coloured filters for the fixed mirror, four for the mobile mirror. Marked "P. & G. Mattei Cardiff".

"Troughton London"

Brass theodolite with compass, telescopic sight and spirit level, marked 'Troughton London'. Edward Troughton was one of the best manufacturers of scientific, navigational, surveying and astronomical instruments. Following the death of his eldest brother and partner, he took over from William Simms in 1826 and the name of the firm changed to Troughton & Simms.

"Baradelle a Paris"

Theodolite in gilded brass, with fixed and movable alidade central compass; signed on the underside "Baradelle a Paris". Baradelle was a French family of makers of scientific instruments; their production includes that of the father Jean-Louis-Jacques (active from 1752 to 1794) and his son Nicholas Eloi (active from 1774 to 1814), both signing indiscriminately with the sole surname. There is the painted and gilded wooden base with phytomorphic motifs as well. A similar theodolite belongs to the English collections of the Science Museum Group.

"Canivet a Paris"

Level and square set with golden brass wire, signed “Canivet a Paris”. On the instrument there are also the inscriptions “6 p de France / Nelle Mesure”.

"Butterfield a Paris"

Leveller set square with plumb line, in gilded brass, signed “Butterfield a Paris”; there also is the inscription "pouces de Roy". Michael Butterfield (1635-1724) was an English watchmaker who moved to Paris around 1663, where he worked at the royal court and was appointed engineer by Louis XIV. He opened a shop of precision instruments, and specialized, in particular, in the production of sundials. Among his main customers is the Tsar Peter the Great, who also visited the workshop in 1717.

R & J. Beck

Compound binocular microscope mounted on a triangular base, serial number 6746, in lacquered brass. The rod, which supports the double optical tube, the circular table and the mirror, can be set at different angles. The rough focus is done through to a toothed pinion and rack, while the fine focus is done with a screw with a knob. Removable monoculars at the top. The device comes with two mahogany boxes containing the original accessory devices, even if the presence of some empty spaces suggests the absence of some pieces. The device was built by the company R. & J. Beck, a company that remained in the hands of the two brothers after Smith's retirement in 1865, thus allowing them to adopt the signature just stated.

Negretti & Zambra M/8845

Campbell-Stokes heliograph, Negretti & Zambra, M/8845, made of brass and optical glass (sphere) and anchored on a wooden board. Our instrument can be dated with certainty between 1880 and 1885, as the first model was perfected by Sir George Stokes in 1880, who used a solid glass sphere and had the idea of using strips of paper to record burnt traces. Finally, in 1885, models were built in which the axis of the sphere could be tilted to suit various latitudes, a feature that the object described here does not possess.

T. WALKER'S Patent HARPOON SHIP LOG A.2.

Mechanical harpoon towing log/"Harpoon towing log" model A2, made of brass and porcelain, without stabiliser, fitted with three dials on the porcelain panel, of which the first records miles up to 100, the second records units up to 10 miles, the third records quarter miles. The four rotor blades are stamped with the anchor motif and the initials T.W. The design details and features suggest a production date around 1880.