George II Scientific Instruments

- Collector's specimens - Lignum vitae is sought after for the beauty of its grain, coloring, patina, density and toughness Translated from Latin, vignum vitae means “wood of lif...

A rare George II period mahogany stick barometer with finely carved cistern cover and surround to partly conceal the mercury tube. Most unusually the signed register plate is made of...

Nathaniel Hill Pocket globe London, 1754 The globe is contained in its original case, which itself is covered in shark skin. There are slight gaps in the original paint on the sphere. The case no longer closes. The sphere measures 2.6 in (6.8 cm) in diameter whereas the case measures 2.9 in (7.4 cm) in diameter. lb 0.24 (kg 0.11) The globe is made up of twelve printed paper gores aligned and glued to the sphere. In the North Pacific Ocean there is a scroll with the inscription: A New terrestrial Globe by Nath. Hill, 1754. The celestial globe is depicted on the inside of the box. On the terrestrial globe much of central and southern Africa is empty. North America bears only the name of some British colonies. It shows California as a peninsula and the northwest coast of America as "unknown parts" (Alaska is not described and is only partially delineated; it would become part of the United States in 1867). The route of Admiral Anson is traced (1740) and the trade winds are indicated by arrows. Australia, still named New Holland (the new name would be introduced in 1829), is part of the west coast. (See Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, Utrecht 1984, p. 146 and Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993, p. 115.) Nathaniel Hill (London, news from 1746 to 1768) had impeccable professional credentials: he had done his apprenticeship with Richard Cushee, who at the time was carrying out surveying work for John Senex's Surrey map...