Barometer
ca. 1750-1760 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
During the 18th century scientific enquiry into the natural world was seen as an essential part of the education of a gentleman. Barometers and thermometers offered elegant evidence of the owner's intellectual interests. This barometer is paired with a matching thermometer (Museum no. 1096-1882) and both are finely veneered in tulipwood and kingwood to take their place beside the finest furniture of a study or the small, personal rooms known as cabinets in France. The pair of instruments was acquired by John Jones, a British military tailor, in the 19th century. He was one of the best-known collectors of French 18th-century decorative arts and in 1882 he bequeathed his collection to the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Veneered in tulipwood and kingwood, holly and purpleheart, on a carcase of unidentified wood; the glass of the barometer is flanked by white enamel plaques marked in black enamel |
| Brief description | Mounted on a tall, narrow panel, veneered in tulipwood and kingwood, the edges mounted in gilt bronze, the face set with white enamel plaques with black inscriptions, including the name of the maker |
| Physical description | The barometer is mounted on a tall, narrow back panel, veneered in tulipwood and kingwood, with fillets of holly and purpleheart under the glass tube. The edges of the panel are framed with gilt-bronze mouldings. The top is a shallow arch and the gilt-bronze mounts show small foliage mounts at the corners and in the centre of the top and bottom. At the top of the panel the tube is flanked with white enamel plaques, painted in black with the different types of weather, and with the maker's name. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | TRE[grave accent]S/SEC
BEAU/FINE
BEAU/TEMPS
TEMPS/VARIABLES
PLUYE/OU VENT
GRANDE/PLUYE
TEM/PE[circonflex]TRE
LANGE DE/BOURBON (These inscriptions are read across the two plaques, with the split coming at the point of the forward slash) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John Jones |
| Object history | Acquired by John Jones before 1882 |
| Summary | During the 18th century scientific enquiry into the natural world was seen as an essential part of the education of a gentleman. Barometers and thermometers offered elegant evidence of the owner's intellectual interests. This barometer is paired with a matching thermometer (Museum no. 1096-1882) and both are finely veneered in tulipwood and kingwood to take their place beside the finest furniture of a study or the small, personal rooms known as cabinets in France. The pair of instruments was acquired by John Jones, a British military tailor, in the 19th century. He was one of the best-known collectors of French 18th-century decorative arts and in 1882 he bequeathed his collection to the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1097-1882 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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