Accession No

6878

Brief Description

vacuum pump, by Cornelius Varley, English, 1820 (c)

Origin

England; London

Maker

Varley, Cornelius

Class

physics

Earliest Date

Latest Date

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass); wood; glass

Dimensions

250mm (width), 340mm (depth), 620mm (height)

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased from Flints Auctions Ltd in January 2026.

Inscription

VARLEY
LONDON [brass upright]

Description Notes

Vacuum pump, by Cornelius Varley, English, 1820 (c).

Vacuum pump comprising of several brass elements set onto a flat wooden base. Wooden base rests on four bun feet. At one end of the base, there is a brass upright is attached, onto which the handle is attached. A brass tube passes from brass upright through a gusset in the wooden base, to the centre of a large circular brass disc. Onto this brass disc attaches another, smaller upright, at the top of which is the lower of two Magdenburgh hemispheres. The second hemisphere rests on top of this. A glass bell jar can sit on top of the brass disc, and a further part of the object, a brass hook with a ring loop at the top and a brass disc halfway up, can be placed on the bell jar to cover its open top.

References

Events