HANDSOME ENGLISH MONOCULAR BY AN UNCOMMON MAKER
Stock Number: 9036
$1950.
For sale, a lovely antique 18th century monocular in wood, ray skin, and vellum. It is by Samuel Johnson, an uncommon maker who worked under the trade sign of "Sir Isaac Newton &Two Pair of Golden Spectacles."
Dimensions
2-3/8
Circa
c. third quarter 18th century
Country of manufacture
UK and Ireland
Description
HANDSOME ENGLISH MONOCULAR BY AN UNCOMMON MAKER, third quarter 18th century, signed (stamped) on the drawtube “S. Iohnson, London.” Measuring only 2-3/8″ (6 cm) long closed, this little telescope is constructed in a wonderful combination of materials typical of 18th century fashion, with wood main tube bound in red-stained ray skin, card drawtube bound in green-stained vellum with stamped decoration, dark-stained mounts, and internal diaphragm of wood. Condition is very fine, noting some (rather attractive) wear to the stain on the edges of the mounts.
The maker would have been Samuel Johnson, apprenticed to the famous optical instrument maker James Mann in 1738, made free in the Spectacle Makers guild in 1745, and working under the wonderful trade sign of “Sir Isaac Newton & Two Pair of Golden Spectacles” (see Clifton).
Ask the Dealer
Dealer information
TESSERACT
David and Yola Coffeen both have enjoyed academic careers, as planetary astronomer and as linguist/educator. But since 1982 (yes, 1982!) they have been full-time dealers in early scientific and medical instruments, under the name Tesseract. Selling primarily by catalogue (over 100 issued so far) they also have a web presence at www.etesseract.com, and can be contacted at [email protected].
