A GEORGE II ANGLE BAROMETER

Details

CHARLES ORME, ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH, DATED 1741
A GEORGE II ANGLE BAROMETER
The case of 'signpost' form, with brass line inlay to borders, the glazed silvered plates with three tubes, sealed squared boxwood cisterns, ring pointers manually operated by brass knobs, signed 'Made by Charles Orme of Ashby de la Zouch 1741', inscribed '654' to the reverse
Walnut, padouk banding and brass
42 in. (106.7 cm.) high; 31 1⁄2 in. (80 cm.) wide; 3 1⁄2 in. (8.9 cm.) deep

Provenance

Owen Hugh Smith, 39 Charles Street, London;
Emmeline Hugh Smith, his widow.
Purchased from the estate of the above in 1964.

Literature

N. Goodison, English Barometers, London, 1968, pp. 174-5, pls. 105-6, pl. 104.
N. Goodison, English Barometers, Woodbridge, 1977, p. 134, col. pl. III and pp. 193-5, pls. 128-9.
E. Banfield, Barometers: Stick or Cistern Tube, Trowbridge, 1985, pp. 145-147, fig. 191.
C. Gilbert and T. Murdoch, John Channon and brass-inlaid furniture 1730-1760, London, 1993, p. 133, pl. 182.

Exhibited

London, Victoria & Albert Museum, John Channon and brass-inlaid furniture 1730-1760, 1993, no. 182.

Special notice

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Sir Nicholas Goodison noted: 'This is probably the rarest of Orme's innovative angle barometers. The triple tubes enable the rise and fall of the mercury to be recorded over 60" instead of the customary 3" of a stick barometer. For the origins of the idea of an angle barometer and Orme's exploitation of it, see Goodison (loc. cit.), 1977, pp. 22-3 and pp. 192-3. Orme made similar barometers with one or with two tubes. Orme owes his eminence to his successful exploitation of the angle tube principle. Several angle barometers signed by him survive and I have yet to see any other type bearing his signature.'

Although there is no known information as to where Orme acquired his barometer cases the brass inlay and mouldings are in the manner of the celebrated London cabinet-maker John Channon (Gilbert and Murdoch, loc. cit.).

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