Description

Iridescent Elegance in “ye King’s Royal Patent” English, mid-18th century, signed “Ribright Optician Fecit London” and “By ye King’s Royal Patent,” and numbered “557.” Of cylindrical shape, 4-1/8″ (10.5 cm) long (closed), the instrument is made of silver, beautifully hand engraved with patterns of foliage, and inset with 24 hand engraved shaped lozenges of iridescent greenish mother-of-pearl. The ends are set with lenses (stopped down to 5/16″ diameter and equipped with dust slides) forming a Galilean monocular system giving magnification of several times. The eye assembly withdraws for focusing and access to the interior. Midway along the tube, where the bundle of light rays is smallest, there is an internal fitting with six slots for various mathematical and domestic tools. Only two remain, both showing a bit of wear: a note pane for use with pencil, and a folding scissors. Condition of the monocular is excellent, complete with its case bound in decoratively stamped leather and lined in colored paper.

This system of compendium concealed within a telescope was patented (and produced) by Thomas Ribright in 1749, as “Making small perspective-glasses with mathematical and other instruments and twees in the same case….” All Ribright-form monoculars are rare, especially signed ones (see, e.g., the unsigned one in Tesseract Catalogue 90, Item 1). Some are more elegant and highly crafted than others, this the finest we have had.