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Nautical compass on cardan joint signed La Filotecnica Milano from the early 1900s

$2,502.11
£1,855.90
€2,100
CA$3,426.23
A$3,809.32
CHF 1,993.95
MX$46,720
NOK 25,387.99
SEK 23,969.27
DKK 15,984.31
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About the Item

Nautical compass on gimbal made by Filotecnica Milano of the early 1900s. The compass consists of a copper and glass vessel; at the bottom, a metal stem is attached to which rests the rose on thin brass plate stamped with eight winds complete with goniometric circle. The compass is housed in its original walnut wooden case with brass locking hooks and hinges. Box size 28.5x28.5x15 cm - inches 11.2x11.2x5.9. Good condition. The last photo is the gift box. After staying and working in various locations in Piedmont, Paris, and Florence, Ignazio Porro (1801-1875), a noted scientist, professor of optics, inventor, and pioneer in the field of wide-angle lenses, settled in Milan and began teaching at the Politecnico. In Milan in 1865 he also founded a school-workshop specializing in the construction of topographic instruments with Alessandro Duroni, a pioneer of Italian photography, under the name Filotecnica. Upon Duroni's death in 1871, Angelo Salmoiraghi, a pupil of Porro's who had already been a very young soldier during the Third War of Independence against the Austrians, entered into partnership with his master and in 1877, after the latter's death, took over the factory, which took the name La Filotecnica Ing. A. Salmoiraghi, expanding it and expanding the range of products, producing mathematical instruments, for drawing, astronomy, meteorology, and navigation; among other things, the firm built Italy's first sewing machine. During World War I, he supplied wartime instrumentation, especially aeronautics, and made a camera intended for aerial filming. In 1927 the company took the name La Filotecnica Ing. A. Salmoiraghi S.A. In 1939 Angelo Salmoiraghi died. During World War II, much of the production is devoted to war instrumentation, and the company is therefore considered a war target: the factories are bombed, but at the end of the conflict the company manages to recover immediately. In the 1970s it was bought by Dollond & Aitchinson, along with Viganò, and became Salmoiraghi Viganò, which since 2017 has been owned by Leonardo Del Vecchio's Luxottica. The first historical records of the use of magnetic directive force in Europe date back to the late sec. XII or early XIII and attribute the exploitation of the properties of the magnet to the Amalfitans. The gimbal made its first appearance around the middle of the sec. XVI. An exact description is given in the short compendium "De la esfera y de la arte de navegar," by Martin Cortés (1551), which gives precise guidelines for the construction of the compass. To the refinements of the instrument can largely be attributed the great discoveries of new lands, from the middle of the sec. XV onwards.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.9 in (14.99 cm)Width: 11.2 in (28.45 cm)Depth: 11.2 in (28.45 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Period:
    1910-1919
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1910
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1020240397632

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