A mid 19th century French combination desk compendium clock ...

A mid 19th century French combination desk compendium clock and barometer by Bourdon & Richard of Paris, the circular eight-day single train timepiece movement with silvered platform lever escapement vertically planted on the backplate, engraved with a regulation scale and stamped RICHARD, PARIS over serial number 405 to left hand margin, the backplate also applied with a cocked gear for driving the centre arbor for the concentric-scale barometer hand, engaging with a delicate curved toothed rack pivoted beneath a shaped bridge and connected via a crank to the opposing ends of a curved Bourdon-type elliptical section aneroid pressure-sensing chamber enveloping the movement and secured to rear of the dial via a bracket at the apex, the lower rear edge of the dial plate further stamped with FR monogram roundel beneath 9140 and RICHARD, A PARIS, the circular two piece white enamel dial with recessed 3.5” Roman numeral centre and blued steel moon hands set within outer scale calibrated in barometric inches and annotated with the usual observations in French, the lower margin with medallions flanking Barmoétre Métallique, the drum casing with bevel-glazed hinged bezel fitted with a barometer recording pointer to the glass opposing conforming push-fit glazed bezel to rear, beneath suspension ring pivoted within a ball-shaped finial, in original dark blue velvet-lined Moroccan leather travelling case with hinged brass carrying handle to the arched-top, complete with conforming protective disc, 21cm x 18cm x 10cm, c.1875 Notes: Eugene Bourdin worked on the aneroid barometer alongside Lucien Vidie. Both Bourdon and Vidie exhibited aneroid barometers at the Great Exhibition of 1851; Vidie subsequently sued Bourdon for the infringement of his Patent. Vidie lost the case but was granted an award of 10,000 francs on appeal in 1861 by which time his patent had expired. This lot is a rare model with only around 500-600 believed to have been made by Richard.

Estimate:£500

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