A very rare and unusual late George III period boxwood-strung and satinwood-banded mahogany double-angle barometer, the flat spade top tapers to a vertical rectangular trunk with moulded edges accommodating the double-angled glass tube and thermometer. Both the shaped silvered brass register plates and thermometer plates are inscribed Knie, Edin.

The double-angle barometer was developed to take advantage of the accuracy of the extended tube whilst improving the aesthetics of the traditional angle barometer. They were made in small numbers over a very short period, so they are rare.

Date: circa 1790

Height: 37 ½ in (95.5 cm)
Width: 11 ¼ in (28.5 cm)

Balthazar Knie (active 1773-1816) was born in Germany and settled in Edinburgh in about 1774. He is one of the best-known and most prolific makers of barometers, particularly in Scotland. He specialised in making fine and unusual pieces, of which this one is a fine and rare example.

Further closely related examples, also made by Knie, can be seen in the City of Gloucester Museum, the Deutsche Museum, Munich, and the Landes Museum in Zurich.

RP03