Antique Black Forest Barometer. The photos were taken outside and were not altered in any way. This is a Bourdon tube barometer. The barometer is working, though I’m sure it needs to be calibrated/set. The wood carving is 19 inches tall and 15 inches at it’s widest point. The open, visible face of the barometer (inner wood edge to inner wood edge) is 5 & 1/2 inches. The face of the barometer is paper and the script is all in french. There are two small seals at the bottom that translate to (1) Gold Medal Exhibition 1849 E Bourdon ET Richards Patent Paris and (2) Universal Exhibition London 1851 Great 1st class medal. The paper does have some dirt, spotting and fading. See the photos for more detail. The barometer is encased from the face to where it’s mounted in the back. I cannot take any photos of the inner workings without removing it from it’s wood housing. I wouldn’t risk damaging this rare piece by doing that. The body of the barometer is framed out with a hinged door and latch. The door does latch but is a bit ajar when closed. The wood on the door by the top hinge has been repaired with glue. Just a split from someone forcing the door too wide. The two light spots you can see on the top corners of the door are just a bit of paint. There is a hoop on the top of the box for hanging and a loop of wire. The wood housing consists mostly of delicately carved leaves. The leaves on the outer edges, mostly the left and right side, have been damaged. Several leaf tips have snapped off, see photos. The top and bottom have a chip as well, those are a bit less noticeable. They’re set back from the face in an overlapped style and really can only be seen when looking directly down at the top or directly up at the bottom. The backside shows some small holes, top and bottom. There is one leaf section someone glued back on, right side in last photo. It’s a small section with few spots of glue residue visible. The bird perched above the barometer face is slightly loose, nothing major, and his left wing has a couple very small chips on it’s edge. Someone had simply done a surface dusting but there was a lot of dust left in the nooks. I planned to dry dust it with some cotton swaps for the small detailing but most of dust stayed even when trying to just blow it out. Bottom line, it’s dirty! However, I didn’t want to alter the wood or apply any polish or oil. I’ve left it as is. This piece would benefit from a cleaning and restoration by a professional. I have done a bit of research on this piece and it’s been quite interesting. I always clearly outline flaws, but. Please look at the photographs and use the zoom to visibly see what I’ve tried to describe verbally. It’s brutal to try and narrow down 12 pictures for an item with this much detailing to highlight! If you would like any addition pictures please just message me! I have a day job so most messages will be answered in the evening. Thank you for looking! The item “Black Forest Barometer Bourdon Tube 1800s Antique 1851 French Victorian, Carving” is in sale since Sunday, May 17, 2015. This item is in the category “Antiques\Decorative Arts\Woodenware\Other”. The seller is “pinky_1980″ and is located in Huntington, New York. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Type: Barometer
- Primary Material: Wood
- Age: 1850-1899
- Original/Reproduction: Original
- Color: Brown
- Style: Black Forest Carving
- Country/Region of Origin: France
- Function: Working
- Era: Victorian
- Usage: Wall hanging
