Accession No
5351
Brief Description
highly decorated gilt spyglass, six draw, circa 1800
Origin
Maker
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1775
Latest Date
1850
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, gilt); glass
Dimensions
diameter of glass 34mm; diameter of tube 44mm; height fully extended 100mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Donated by previous owner's son on 11/11/1998. Donated to previous owner by Robert Stewart Whipple in 1944. Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from J.W. Rose, 5 Old Bond St, Bath, on 19/02/1927.
Inscription
Description Notes
six drawer spyglass in gilt brass. Richly chased floral decoration to gilt at eyepiece and objective. Circa 1800
Condition good, complete.
References
Events
Description
Although Robert Stewart Whipple purchased his first antique instrument in 1913, it was not until the 1920s that his collection really began to grow. This is one of the first hundred objects that Whipple acquired, and demonstrates the early development of his taste for historic scientific artefacts and books.
This ornate spyglass was originally item 0301 in Whipple's collection. In preparation for the 1944 exhibition of Whipple's donation, a Mrs Strangeways assisted Whipple with dusting and installation of the displays. As thanks, Whipple allowed her to choose a piece from his collection to keep. She chose 0301. It was returned to the Whipple Collection in 1998, when it was donated back by Mrs Strangeways' son.
08/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 08/10/2025
FM:45688
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