Jason Clarke Antiques has dated this piece to the 1890s.
Measuring twenty one inches in height and five inches wide, this example is comprised entirely of a moulded porcelain scale plate with black painted scale showing Fahrenheit measurements either side of a red spirit thermometer. The bulb of the scale is protected by a brass grill at the base.
A very good example of a rare design of thermometer.
Negretti & Zambra were a leading name in the production of meteorological and scientific instruments and had a company history dating back to 1850 although their parents were amongst those Italian emigres that bolstered the British meteorological instrument making industry at the turn of the century.
Throughout their long and esteemed history they exhibited at British and international industrial fairs and became makers to both Queen Victoria and Edward VII. Owing to changes in the business, the firm ceased the public retailing of scientific instruments sometime around the late 1960’s and continued with a focus on the aviation industry in numerous guises until its eventual liquidation in the year 2000. They are today perhaps the most collected of the scientific instrument firms which bears testament to the quality of their work.
Circa 1890
Jason Clarke Antiques has dated this piece to the 1890s.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Jason Clarke Antiques Profile Page
Victorian Large Scale Porcelain Thermometer by Negretti & Zambra London
