LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY, KELVIN & JAMES WHITE LTD.

Details

A BRASS, IRON AND OAK BINNACLE AND COMPASS
LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY, KELVIN & JAMES WHITE LTD.
Marked KELVIN & JAMES WHITE LTD/15 TO 20 CAMBRIDGE ST./GLASGOW & LONDON, the compass marked THE LORD KELVIN COMPASS CARD...
56 in. (142.5 cm.) high, 29 in. (74 cm.) wide, 20 in. (51 cm.) deep

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve. Please note lots marked with a square will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) on the last day of the sale. Lots are not available for collection at Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services until after the third business day following the sale. All lots will be stored free of charge for 30 days from the auction date at Christie’s Rockefeller Center or Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Operation hours for collection from either location are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday-Friday. After 30 days from the auction date property may be moved at Christie’s discretion. Please contact Post-Sale Services to confirm the location of your property prior to collection. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn). Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information.

Lot Essay

Sir William Thomson (1824-1907), later Lord Kelvin, improved the accuracy of maritime navigation in the 19th century by using corrector magnets and iron spheres with binnacles to counteract the growing use of iron in ship construction that caused compass needles to deviate from magnetic north. He is also known for developing the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature measurement.

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