Accession No
0447
Brief Description
spyglass or prospect glass, French [attributed], 1800 (c)
Origin
French [attributed]
Maker
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1800
Inscription Date
Material
ivory; metal (silver, brass/copper?); glass
Dimensions
length 32 mm; diameter 42 mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from T.H. Court on 05/03/1929.
Inscription
Description Notes
Ivory body engraved with shooting scene and decorative motif. Silver mounts. 5 silver draw tubes.
Condition: fair (crack in ivory).
References
Events
Description
R.S. Whipple’s interests as a collector included objects from the everyday world. He was particularly beguiled by two popular ways to improve eyesight: spectacles and opera glasses. Whilst today we might not think of these items as ‘scientific’, in the 18th and 19th century both were often the bread-and-butter trade of optical instrument-makers.
17/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 17/10/2025
FM:42336
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