First Empire Barometer, Gilded Carved Wood, Torricelli System, Flower Basket, 19th Century

Torricelli barometer* in carved and gilded wood, decorated on the pediment with a basket containing ears of wheat and laurel wreaths, as well as flowers, frame decorated with palmettes and foliage, dating from the First Empire period, early 19th century. This barometer is in good overall condition, superb quality. Note: some damage and cracks in the wood and gilding, slightly stained and yellowed paper, signs of age, see photos. *Torricelli's barometer (1644): The barometer is an invention developed by accident. Torricelli, former secretary to Galileo, was not directly interested in atmospheric pressure, but in the jets of water in fountains. Around 1643, Torricelli attempted to solve a mystery: why did the columns of water not rise more than 10 meters? Torricelli decided to replace the water with mercury, which is heavier than water and less voluminous because it is denser. He designed a glass tube filled with mercury, which he inverted over a basin of water, without letting any air in. The amount of mercury needed to fill the 76 cm column reproduced the force exerted by a 10 m column of water. The force exerted by the air on the column slowed its rise, and it was impossible to overcome this force. He then realized that the water could not rise more than 10 m for physical, not technological, reasons. In 1676, the Academy of Sciences, following Blaise Pascal's work on atmospheric pressure, named this tube the Torricelli barometer and named its unit of measurement the Torr (1 Torr = 1 mm on the mercury column). (BNF website) ATTENTION: FOR A DELIVERY QUOTE, PLEASE CONTACT US WITH THE CITY AND COUNTRY OF DESTINATION. PLEASE NOTE: CONTACT US FOR A DELIVERY QUOTE. Dimensions: Circle diameter 34.5 cm, Total height 93 cm / Height to pediment 88 cm / Frame 58 cm, Width 51 cm. Reference: F30 1257. All photos are available at: www.antiques-delaval.com