Accession No
0255
Brief Description
miniature spyglass necklace, French, c.1800
Origin
France
Maker
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
Inscription Date
Material
metal (copper, brass, gilt metal); paste (artificial gems); glass.
Dimensions
length 57mm; breadth 52mm; thickness 21mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from T. H. Court on 22/12/1925.
Inscription
Description Notes
Copper/brass alloy (?). Body with 2 draw tubes. Surrounded by openwork gilt cross. Artificial blue gems on both sides of each arm (one missing).
Condition: good/fair.
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:42529
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