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Spy glass: PER.M.371-1923

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Jones, William (optical instrument maker)
Maker: Jones, Samuel

Entities

Categories

Description

Telescopic spy glass in gilt bronze and carved ivory inlaid with gold piqué point

Two glass lenses set in gilt bronze and carved ivory inlaid with gold piqué point. Cylindrical, telescopic action of seven bronze tiers, the largest (which forms the case) set with an ivory band carved to resemble basketwork and inlaid with a gold dot at each intersection. The top of the eyepiece is engraved 'W & S Jones, 30 Holborn, London'.

Notes

History note: Not known before testator

Legal notes

Spencer George Perceval Bequest, 1922

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 4.9 cm
Height: 10.5 cm
Height: 3.9 cm

Place(s) associated

  • London ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1922-03-07) by Perceval, Spencer George

Dating

19th Century, Early#
George III
1800 CE - 1820 CE

Note

William Jones (1763-1831) and his younger brother Samuel were successful scientific instrument makers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, working from 135 Holborn from 1792-1800 and 30 Holborn from 1800-1860.

School or Style

Regency

Components of the work

Decoration composed of gold
Surface composed of gold
Tiers composed of copper alloy
Case composed of ivory
Lense composed of glass

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: W & S Jones, 30 Holborn, London
  • Location: Round the top of the eyepiece
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Maker's inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: PER.M.371-1923
Primary reference Number: 150659
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 30 June 2016 Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Spy glass" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/150659 Accessed: 2024-03-29 06:00:06

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/150659 |title=Spy glass |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-29 06:00:06|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-150659

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