Surveyor's Instruments
1891
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The case contains a pair of dividers, a compass, a ruler and a pencil. Surveyors, architects and navigators used tools like this to make maps and build houses. They needed their tools to be light and portable. The case is made out of a material called shagreen, which is made from ray or shark skin.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Shagreen, Silver |
| Brief description | Set of surveyor's instruments of steel, ivory and partly gilded silver in a shagreen case. England, hallmarks for 1891-2. |
| Physical description | The case is oblong, tapered, with hinged lid fitten with moulded mount. A silver plate with initials I.B.M and London hall mark for 1891-2 has recently been let in to the top of the lid. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Before modern transport people largely travelled on foot or on horseback. Useful everyday items needed to be carried comfortably on the body. Some were miniature versions of larger objects, others folded ingeniously to become portable. Often they were intricate and delicate.
These eleven items were personal possessions. Many were made before pockets were commonplace. Some were used in the workplace, some at home and some on the road.
Many have cases as stylish as the objects they protect. These cases came in a range of materials, from expensive ivory and sharkskin to cheaper leather and wood. Their decoration shows the same designs that adorn silver, ceramics and textiles.
All these objects give us interesting insights into work, leisure and social etiquette
3 SURVEYOR'S INSTRUMENTS
Steel, ivory and partially gilded silver, with shagreen case
England, hallmarks for 1891-2
The case contains a pair of dividers, a compass, a ruler and a pencil. Surveyors, architects and navigators used tools like this to make maps and build houses. They needed their tools to be light and portable. The case is made out of a material called shagreen, which is made from ray or shark skin.
Museum no. 137-1906 |
| Summary | The case contains a pair of dividers, a compass, a ruler and a pencil. Surveyors, architects and navigators used tools like this to make maps and build houses. They needed their tools to be light and portable. The case is made out of a material called shagreen, which is made from ray or shark skin. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 137-1906 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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