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Prismatic liquid pocket compass signed F. Barker's & Son London 1917
About the Item
Prismatic compass pocket liquid and sensing signed F. Barker's & Son Makers London 1917, Pat No.29677/10, Futher Pat Pending, in use by British army officers during World War I. This is a small vintage compass typically used in recreational sailing, thus on boats less prone to magnetic deflection. It can also be held in the hand and thus away from the magnetic fields of the boat. It’s equipped with an aiming system with target and a goniometric compass rose so that the angle between the line of sight and the north indicated by the magnetic needle can be measured. Good condition, fully functional complete with original leather case. Diameter cm 5.5 - inches 2.2, thickness cm 3 - inches 1.2.
F. Barker & Son was a British Company founded in London in 1848 by Francis Barker (1820 1875) who began as an apprentice becoming a skilled precision mechanic acquiring uan great reputation as a valiant and creative craftsman going so far as to purchase the business of his former employer. Questo marchio diventò famoso per le forniture di strumenti di precisione alle forze alleate in Europa durante sia la prima che la seconda Guerra Mondiale.
The Greeks and the Romans were still unaware of the possibility of harnessing magnetic fields for orientation, while it seems that this possibility was already somewhat known to the Chinese: around 2600 B.C. Emperor Hoang-Ti was able to overcome Prince Tchi-Yeou in battle thanks to a "magic" chariot, the See-Nan (chariot pointing south). The emperor, thanks to this device, identified the enemy's escape route, despite the fact that the enemy had concealed it through a blanket of smoke: fixed on the chariot was a human-shaped wooden silhouette that rotated on itself and, with its arm outstretched, always pointed south (pointing south of course was also pointing north at the same time, but south was considered by the Chinese to be the most important cardinal point). The Chinese also used their discoveries related to magnetic fields as a form of entertainment and spectacle: they would throw magnetized arrows as if they were dice, and these would line up in a south-north direction as if by magic, which greatly impressed and amazed the spectators.
- Dimensions:Height: 1.2 in (3.05 cm)Diameter: 2.2 in (5.59 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:1910-1919
- Date of Manufacture:1917
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1020238637182
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milan, Italy
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