Skinner science, technology sale Dec. 1 takes industrial turn
John Bryne 4-inch brass refracting telescope, New York, 1880. Estimate: $10,000-$12,000. Skinner Inc. image.
MARLBOROUGH, Mass – Skinner Inc. will conduct an auction of Science, Technology and Clocks on Saturday, Dec. 1, in its Marlborough gallery. The sale features an important collection of ornamental turning equipment and references, including Holtzapffel & Co. rose engine lathes, turning tools and accessories. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
The tour de force of lathes, a rare and important Holtzapffel & Co. rose engine lathe, No. 1636, will be offered in the December sale along with its tools and accessories (lot 232, estimated between $70,000 and $90,000). Two years in the making, this lathe was first sold for a price reportedly in excess of 1,500 pounds sterling on Dec. 20, 1838 to a London civil engineer, John Taylor Esquire (1779-1863). It is the most complex and fully featured rose engine lathe that Holtzapffel ever made. Of this particular lathe, John Jacob Holtzapffel II wrote in 1886: it is “ … one of three, the last and best we have made.”
Less elaborate Holtzapffel lathes include ornamental turning lathe No. 1994 (lot 230, $10,000 to $15,000), and ornamental turning lathe No. 2328 (lot 231, $10,000 to $15,000). The auction also includes ornamental turning books and catalogs, elaborately carved turned objects, and a collection of hardwood turning blanks.
Exceptional Holtzapffel turning tools with ivory handles (lot 175, $20,000 to $30,000) will also be sold along with lathe attachments and cutter frames from makers that include Evans, Fenn and Holtzapffel. The ivory-handle tools are displayed in a large, double-door mahogany cabinet and amply demonstrate the excellence of Holtzapffel tools. It is likely that these were exhibition tools, shown by Holtzapffel in 1851 at the London Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations.
This collection of early watches provides a unique opportunity for watch enthusiasts to bid on museum-quality items not typically available for sale to the public. The advanced mechanical elements and intricacy of these timepieces will intrigue both experienced and beginning collectors.
Notable watch offerings include a gilt and rock crystal case watch circa 1630 by Swiss maker Charles Bobinet (lot 248, $15,000 to $20,000), a Jean Rousseau tulip-form gilt brass and rock crystal watch (lot 258, $5,000 to $7,000), and a Thomas Young silver “shutter” watch which opens to reveal the time when the crown is depressed (lot 255, $7,000 to $9,000). An ivory Crucifix-form watch circa 1630 with a carved ivory diptych case depicts The Passion of Christ, the annunciation, the manger scene, Christ bearing the cross to Calvary, and the Crucifixion on the hinged lid and back (lot 257, $6,000 to $8,000).
The decorative enamel elements, snakeskin outer case, and faux pendulum of a Samuel Ruel enameled pair case watch circa 1715 (lot 261, $15,000 to $25,000) will captivate collectors. And for those seeking a more whimsical timepiece, a “Bras en L’Aire” silver open-face watch (lot 298, $1,000 to $1,500) features a gilt figure with arms that rise to indicate the time when the pendant is depressed. A gold-quarter-repeating musical watch (lot 295, $2,000 to $3,000) plays a tone on request to indicate the nearest quarter-hour. Repousse and shagreen watch cases will also be available.
Notable clock offerings include an E. Howard & Co. No. 23 90-day astronomical regulator from Boston circa 1870 (lot 511, $70,000 to $90,000). A selection of American musical clocks and chiming clocks will also be sold.
Two significant surgical sets will be offered, including an exhibition surgical set comprised of ruby-set mother-of-pearl-handled implements by George Tiemann & Co. (lot 163, $80,000 to $100,000). Tiemann & Co. was a prominent exhibitor in 1876 at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Of local interest is a Henry J. Bigelow gold-plated presentation surgical set (lot 164, $20,000 to $25,000). Bigelow (1818-1890), a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and noted professor of surgery at the Harvard Medical School, was present during the first use of ether as a surgical anesthetic in 1846 at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Bigelow quickly published a report in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (Vol. 35, Nov. 18, 1846) lauding this milestone of “one of the most important discoveries of the age.”
A John Bryne 4-inch brass refracting telescope (lot 101, $10,000 to $12,000), built in 1880 in New York, will be offered. Bryne was an apprentice to telescope maker Henry Fitz in 1847 and subsequently worked with him until Fitz’s death in 1863. Well-known astronomer Edward Barnard used a Bryne telescope to discover several comets. Other important scientific instruments include a Benjamin Pike & Sons vacuum pump (lot 118, $1,000 to $1,500) and an early Thatcher calculator (lot 127, $1,000 to $1,500).
For details about any of the lots phone 508-970-3244.
Internet live biding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Holtzapffel & Co. Rose Engine Lathe No. 1636 and cabinet of accessories, London, 1838. Estimate: $70,000-$90,000. Skinner Inc. image.
Holtzapffel exhibition ivory-handle hurning tools, London, circa 1850. Estimate:$20,000-$30,000. Skinner Inc. image.
Charles Bobinet gilt and rock crystal case watch, Switzerland, circa 1630. Estimate:$15,000-$20,000. Skinner Inc. image.
Ivory crucifix-form watch, possibly Continental, circa 1630. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Skinner Inc. image.
George Tiemann and Co. exhibition surgical set, 67 Chatham St., New York, 1876. Estimate: $80,000-$100,000. Skinner Inc. image.
Henry J. Bigelow gold-plated presentation surgical set, Charriere, Paris, circa 1869. Estimate: $20,000-$25,000. Skinner Inc. image.
Benjamin Pike & Sons vacuum pump, 518 Broadway, New York, circa 1890. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Skinner Inc. image.
E. Howard & Co. No. 23 90-day astronomical regulator, Boston, circa 1870. Estimate: $70,000-$90,000. Skinner Inc. image.
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