A FINE GEORGE II/III MAHOGANY MERCURY STICK BAROMETER WITH L...

Estimate

£1,000 - £1,500

A FINE GEORGE II/III MAHOGANY MERCURY STICK BAROMETER WITH LARGE SCALE THERMOMETERJOHN BENNETT, LONDON, MID 18th CENTURYThe break-arch case with central brass Classical bust finial over cavetto cornice and hinged brass-framed arch glazed door enclosing silvered Vernier scale calibrated in barometric inches to right hand side opposing the usual observations to the left beneath signature Bennett, LONDON to upper section, the caddy moulded trunk applied with a tall shaped-top silvered Fahrenheit Scale alcohol thermometer incorporating drilled brass shield to the bulb and with annotations ranging from Extreme Cold to Extreme Hot, over rounded base applied with a hemispherical cistern cover and incorporating level adjustment screw to underside.101cm (39.5ins) high overall 16.5cm (6.5ins) wide.Provenance:The Dr. Castle Collection of barometers and other weather instruments. Purchased at Sotheby's, London sale of Important Clocks, Watches & Wristwatches 14th December 2006 (lot 7) for £4,322.50.John Bennett (III) is recorded in Clifton, Gloria Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851 as gaining his Freedom of the Clockmakers' Company in 1733, and working from Hatton Wall, London, until 1746, when he relocated to Old Bailey before finally moving to Fleet Street in 1751. Nicholas Goodison in ENGLISH BAROMETERS 1680-1860 notes that John Bennett worked up until 1768 and illustrates an undated trade card indicating that he was located at 'The Globe, Crown Court, between St. Ann's, Soho, and Golden Square'. Bennett was a fine maker who held warrants to three members of the Royal Family and most likely had a working relationship with the eminent scientific instrument maker Jonathan Sisson.