3581

London, Circa 1793

BRASS "T-FRAME" QUINTANT BY JESSE RAMSDEN

Signed "Ramsden London" on the cross-bar and numbered 1147 on the reverse side. Inset silver scale reads from 2 to 147 degrees. With a 5.125" radius arm with tangent screw and clamp, handle, three brass feet, and an assortment of lenses, eyepieces and other fittings. Within its original mahogany box. An old label in the box instructs "To correct error of division in centering add 1' every 10 degrees.". The fine use of brass, when many other instruments were still being made in ebony, and the quality of workmanship mark this instrument as the work of a master craftsman and inventor.
Quintant length 6". Width 7". Box height 2.75". Length 6.5". Width 7.75".
Condition: The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction. 

  • Provenance:
    Sotheby's, London, Frank Collection of Scientific Instruments, 1986.
    The Kelton Collection of Marine Art & Artifacts.
  • Exhibited:
    Pacific Asia Museum at U.S.C.: "Trade and Treasure Exhibition", 1987.

    Notes:
    TThis jewel-like brass quintant was made in about 1793 based on records at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, which show an earlier serial number (842) was manufactured in 1785 and a later serial number (1415) was manufactured in 1799.
    Even the finest instrument makers were having difficulty at this time in making totally perfect instruments. Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800) was one of the era's premier instrument makers, and his instruments were carried by Captains Cook and Humbolt on their scientific voyages of discovery. In the course of his apprenticeship, Ramsden worked for John Bird (1709-1776), the maker of the first sextant. In 1762 he opened his own workshop in the Haymarket, and in 1766 married the sister of Peter Dollond, another famous instrument maker. As part of her dowry, Ramsden received a share in the achromatic objective lens patent owned by its inventor, his father-in-law, John Dollond (1706-1761). In 1775 he developed an improved dividing machine for marking the gradations on instrument indexes. The English Board of Longitude awarded Ramsden a substantial prize on the condition he publish a description of the new engine, done in 1777, as well as instruct up to ten instrument makers in its use and permit other instrument makers to use it for a fee. The original engine is now preserved in the U.S. National Museum in Washington, D.C.

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August 5, 2022 9:30 AM EDT
East Dennis, MA, US

Eldred's

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