“TRUMEAU”
(bureau/desk), Architettura, by Piero Fornasetti.

Spectacular is the only possible word to describe this extraordinary piece of furniture, the brain-child of Italy’s most original designer of the early 20th century.

Made of wood, with original drawings laminated on to all visible surfaces, the bureau features a drop-front desk, with an opening cupboard above. When this cupboard is closed, there is a central niche, which could be occupied by a classical statue, as shown in an illustration of an earlier version of this “trumeau”. All the drawings are originals by Fornasetti, whose inspiration was Italian 18th-century architectural prints, selected for their extraordinary perspective effects. The base shows the palace of the Alessi in Genoa; the lid of the desk, an arcaded courtyard.The closed upper cupboard displays the windows of a palazzo facade; open, it transforms into a tessellated entrance hall with foliate ceiling, yet another elevation standing like a screen within. The effect of this ordered richness of classical architecture, every detail perfectly recorded in stark black and white, is quite stunning.

Versatility could have been Piero Fornasetti’s middle name. Already a serious artist in his teens, he settled in Milan at the age of 22, and worked there until his death in 1988. His style,based on illusion and trompe l’oeil, akin to the Dutch artist Escher, and on architectural motifs, was applied to an astonishing variety of objects. His unexpected images decorated items as diverse as waistcoats, scarves, plates, cabinets, beds,racing cars; he provided the decor for bars, shops and ocean liners. This bureau, combining his consummate knowledge of classical architecture with his sophisticated approach to interior decor, is a unique masterpiece.

We have been overwhelmed by the interest shown in the “trumeau”. None of the striking artefacts that have taken centre stage in the window of our gallery has attracted as much attention as this amazing bureau. Note: Electric lighting is supplied, to illuminate the bureau internally.

Large LIBRARY GLOBE
by W. & A.K.Johnston, of Edinburgh and London. Diameter 30ins (76cms).

This fine globe, on an ebonized stand, is an example of one of the late functions of the globe, which was first made for and used by explorers and navigators, and then for teaching. This early 20th-century example is a reference globe for the businessman, who needed information on world-wide transport. The oceans are marked with the principal steamship routes, and with the submerged telegraph lines.

An unusual feature of this globe is a simple brass frame of movable hoops that fits over the upper half. It seems likely that this was intended to make it possible to work out the distance between two points on a route by using spherical triangles. The semi-circular hoop passes through the zenith, and a route is selected on the globe, which is turned so that a spherical triangle is formed. This is indicated by the three circular arcs that define a spherical triangle: the horizon, the meridian, and the line between two chosen points on the globe. William and Alexander Keith Johnston began as craftsmen working for James Kirkwood of Edinburgh, a globe-maker whose premises were destroyed in a fire in 1824. The Johnston brothers then set up a business of their own, publishing atlases and globes. They had premises both in Edinburgh and in London, and won medals at the Great Exhibition. This is an example of one of their last models.

Two-day CHRONOMETER & brass-cased FLOATING COMPASS
both signed by Henry Hughes & Son, and made for Henry Morton Stanley for his African expeditions in the 1870s and 1880s.

4 TWO-DAY CHRONOMETER

The brass-bound mahogany box, 71/4ins (18cms) square, with brass inset handles, carries an oval bone disc inscribed HENRY HUGHES AND SON, 59 FENCHURCH STREET, LONDON. The silvered brass dial, diameter 41/2ins (10.5cms), is also signed, and within the seconds dial are the number M/1071 and the words AUXILIARY COMPENSATION.The chronometer has a fusee and chain movement, Earnshaw escapement, and cut bi-metallic balance with Poole auxiliary. The chronometer was made for Henry Hughes by Thomas Mercer of St Albans in 1886.

FLOATING COMPASS

The compass, diameter 21/4ins (6cms), signed H. HUGHES & SON, 59, FENCHURCH ST. LONDON, has a jewelled brass cap, folding brass sights, and a suspension loop.

HENRY STANLEY

The strangest, perhaps the most absurd words of greeting ever spoken, and afterwards endlessly quoted are: “Dr Livingstone, I presume!” The date 1871; the place, Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika; the speaker, Henry Morton Stanley, a Welsh/American journalist, who had successfully searched for and found the missionary/explorer, David Livingstone, missing for three years in darkest Africa. Henry Stanley (1841-1904) was a remarkable man even by the standards of the Victorian period. He was the illegitimate son of a domestic servant in Wales, and was named John Rowlands, his childhood being spent in a workhouse. He emigrated to the United States, where he changed his name to Henry Stanley, after the New Orleans cotton broker who befriended him. He fought in the American Civil War, and then found a congenial career as a 5 journalist. He covered the gold rush in Colorado and the Indian Wars, and then, as European correspondent of the New York Herald, the Civil War in Spain. It was in Africa that he found fame and success, first in his epic search for Dr Livingstone, and then as the man who estabished the infrastructure of the Belgian Congo. In his later years, he toured the world as a lecturer, became an MP, and finally received a knighthood from Queen Victoria.The two items described above were part of the collection of Stanley memorabilia sold by Christie’s in September 2002. Both were taken by Stanley on his African expeditions, the floating compass being for use on his boat, The Lady Alice, named after the American girl he loved, but did not marry.

Naval BINOCULARS
by Nikon, 1950s, with stand.

These fine brass and steel binoculars, 15x80 magnification,length 201/2ins (52cms), come with a light aluminium stand, but have their own base, that could be mounted on a post in a suitable position for use on a ship, or at a land observation point.

The Japan Optical Company was formed in 1917 by the merger of two other firms, and took the popular, catchy name of Nikon. By 1918, Nikon was exporting over 15,000 prism binoculars to the West. The company collaborated with German engineers in the production of the Mikron range of compact prism binoculars.

World War II provided the stimulus of military demand for all kinds of optical instruments, and Nikon’s range of binoculars continued to be popular through the 1950s, and right until the present day. The company took as its models the German optical firms, Zeiss and Leitz, and followed their example in diversifying into camera production immediately after the war.

Early 20th-century examples of such fine precision optical instruments are much sought after by collectors, as well as being of practical use.

MODEL FUNGI
in wood and plaster, some with descriptions in German, 19th century.

One can imagine the owner of this beautiful collection living perhaps in the German Black Forest, and getting to know the wide range of local fungi with the help of these detailed and accurate models. Perhaps it was he or she who added the printed descriptions on the bases of some of them, including cooking instructions. Some, notably the ink cap, are exquisitely carved from wood, while others are made from painted plaster. One has a very life-like slug climbing over the surface.

Models of animal and plant life were popular for teaching and also as decorative objects in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. A notable practitioner was Doctor Auzoux, who had a model factory of anatomical and natural specimens, and a shop in Paris. He established a tradition of accurate and detailed artefacts, with printed notes. These fungi are of the same high quality.

Achromatic REFRACTING TELESCOPE
by P & J Dollond, late 18th-century.
31/2-inch diameter; stands approx. 68ins (173cms) when assembled. This fine telescope is remarkably complete, with its own folding stand and wooden case, containing 5 objectives. Inside the case are an illustrative label, showing the telescope mounted for use, and full instructions, headed: Description/ of an Achromatic Refracting Telescope/ made by P & J Dollond/ St Paul’s Church Yard, LONDON.

The Dollond dynasty, one of the most famous in London instrument making, began with John Dollond, the son of a Huguenot weaver,who patented an achromatic lens for the telescope in 1758, and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1761. His two sons, John and Peter, continued the business, and were succeeded by other members of the family until the mid-19th century. Peter Dollond had a royal appointment to George III, and supplied achromatic telescopes to the Greenwich Observatory.

Scale Model of a HORIZONTAL MILL or PUMP ENGINE
signed J.COMB 1847, in display case.

This working model, now fitted to operate electrically, has evidence that it was originally powered by steam. Such models were regularly produced in the period of the Industrial Revolution to demonstrate large and elaborate pieces of machinery to potential buyers. It was essential that they were complete with all working parts, and could be readily shown to mill owners and other businessmen. Now sometimes thought to have been made as toys, particularly the model railway steam engines, their purpose was in fact very serious, and they had an essential function in the Age of Steam. Nowadays, their exquisite workmanship and accuracy are a huge attraction to collectors.

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