Lot 161
161
A George III mahogany, boxwood and ebony inlaid stick barometer
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
A George III mahogany, boxwood and ebony inlaid stick barometer

BALTHAZAR KNIE. CIRCA 1790

Details
A George III mahogany, boxwood and ebony inlaid stick barometer
Balthazar Knie. Circa 1790
The case of elegant outline bordered with boxwood and ebony stringing, the silvered Vernier scale signed KNIE fecit, with visible mercurial tube terminating in an oval cistern cover with adjustment screw to the base
40¼ in. (102 cm.) high
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Knie, Balthazar (fl.1743-d.1817). One of the great barometer makers of the period, Knie was a glass-blower by trade. Born in Germany and having worked in various parts of Europe he arrived in Edinburgh in 1776. Although renowned for his skills as a glass-blower his main business was making and repairing barometers. The present stick barometer, with its waisted pediment and oval cistern cover, is fairly typical of his work. For a comparative example see Nicholas Goodison English Barometers 1680-1860, Antique Collectors Club, 1977, p.175, Plates 112 & 113.

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