A field of great importance and interest which one could link to early travelers who navigated to discover new land beyond their own isolated living area. These fascinated early inventions were of great importance to read maps and keep track of navigational voyages. Such instruments are the Backstaff, used to measure the altitude of a celestial body, in particular the sun or moon, the Mariner's Astrolabe, also called sea astrolabe, was an inclinometer used to determine the latitude of a ship at sea by measuring the sun's noon altitude (declination) or the meridian altitude of a star of known declination, the Quadrant, used to measure angles up to 90°, the Octant, used to measure an angle without being strongly affected by movement, the Compass, used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions and the Nocturnal, used to determine the local time based on the relative positions of two or more stars in the night sky.
Apart from the navigational instruments one could include other articles associated with this field. These are the Earths Globe, Armillary Sphere, Telescopes, microscopes, measuring instruments and many other.

Unfortunately such articles do not offten appear in local auctions, yet it is as important that we include this department so clients would know that we also specialize in this sector.

Scientific Instruments will be placed in Fine Furnishings and Decorated Arts auctions at Centurion Auctioneers which are held regularly.

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Should you have any questions in regards to Scientific Instruments that you might wish to evaluate or to list in future auctions, please visit the CONTACT page , the VALUATIONS page or the REQUEST INFORMATION page or send an email to Centurion Auctioneers - info@centurion-auctions.com

TERRESTRIAL LIBRARY GLOBE
CORONELLI, VINCENZO (1650-1718)
Terrestrial globe, diameter 108cm, [gores Venice: c.1688]; stand Greaves and Thomas 1999]. The globe made up of 48 globe gores with two sets of calottes, hand-coloured and softly varnished, set in a reproduction Dutch style stand, heavy brass graduated meridian circle and hour ring, with brass support below, stained wooden octagonal horizon circle, recessed with hand-coloured horizon papers in 8 sections, the horizon supported by four turned ebonised legs with gilt-painted bands, ebonised bun feet, the legs united by oak cross-stretchers, and circular oak base plate with central globe support.


width 154cm, overall height 184cm.


Sold £72,000 Christie's auctions

A DUTCH BRASS TELESCOPE
BY JAN VAN DER BILDT (1709-1791), FRANEKER, 18TH CENTURY
The 35 cm. long body-tube with screwrod focusing, eye piece and speculum-mirrors, inscribed to the circular backplate J. van der BILDT. FRANEKER. No. 543, on baluster stand with three shaped folding feet, with brass dustcover.

40 cm. high.


Sold €2,500 Christie's auctions

A FINE AUGSBURG GILT-BRASS AND SILVERED UNIVERSAL EQUINOCTIAL CRESCENT DIAL
JOHAN MARTIN IN AUGSBURG, LATE 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURY
The hinged hour-plate with engraved and pierced foliate decoration and hour scales in the form of two crescents the east side numbered 12-2 and the west 12, 1 -10, with hinged date scale for the crescent-shaped gnomon and with aperature for folding latitude arm with 0-90° scale, the base-plate with central windrose motif, ribbon decoration labelled with eight points of the compass and silver plump-bob support (plump-bob missing), the obverse with table of latitude for sixty-one cities and three feet supports.

6.2cm. (2½in.) wide.


Sold £9,600 Christie's auctions

A BRASS QIBLA INDICATOR
IRAN, LATE 17TH CENTURY
Of flat cylindrical form with hinged lid, the top engraved with a central rosette surrounded by concentric bands of large naskh giving the names of cities in Iran and Iraq on a dotted ground, these bands alternated with plainer bands with letters, the sides with cartouches of similar calligraphy with the names of cities in Syria, Egypt and Anatolia, hook and pin attachment for closing, the interior with a series of dials and indicators.

2 5/8in. (6.6cm.) diam.


Sold £6,875 Christie's auctions

AN ITALIAN ARMILLARY SPHERE
17TH CENTURY
All rings labeled in Latin with punched lettering, supported in outer ring divided 0°-90°-0°-90° with punched numerals, hour ring and pointer to top; the armillary composed of two fixed meridian rings, equatorial, tropics and polar circles and wider zodiac band which is divided on both inner and out surfaces, the outer surface marked with engraved images for each house, inner rotating rings bearing engraved image of sun and a crescent moon, two arms for (lacking) central axis to support earth globe; supported in an associated horizon ring engraved with months on a tripod stand.

14 in. (35.5 cm.) high.


Sold £187,250 Christie's auctions

A SET OF SILVER DRAWING INSTRUMENTS
WILLIAM HAWKS GRICE, CIRCA 1820
The complete tray of silver instruments including proportional dividers, three-armed compass, pull out drawer with ivory protractor, ebony set square with ivory inlay, ivory parallel rule, ivory sector with scale for sundial hours, below an ivory rolling rule, watercolours and mixing tray, many pieces signed, all in original case with key.

11in. (28cm.) wide.


Sold £3,750 Christie's auctions

A LOUIS XIV BRONZE FIGURE OF ATLAS
EARLY 18TH CENTURY
The figure modelled supporting an associated late 19th century armillary sphere, later mounted on a serpentine marble plinth.

27 in. (68.5 cm.) high overall.


Sold £24,500 Christie's auctions

A SILVER BUTTERFIELD DIAL
MICHAEL BUTTERFIELD, CIRCA 1700
Four scale hours for 43°, 46°, 49°, 52°, the outer 4-12-8 the inner V-XII-VII, divided to the quarter hour, signed Butterfield APARIS, foliage motif, the engraving with niello infill, folding bird pointer gnomon, 32-point compass rose, the reverse with latitudes for 27 cities.

2¼in. (5.5cm.).


Sold £2,375 Christie's auctions

A FINELY ENGRAVED BRASS SECTOR
EARLY 18TH CENTURY

6 3/4 in. long (closed).


Sold $563 Christie's auctions

A FINE SHAGREEN-COVERED ENGLISH DRUM MICROSCOPE
MID 18TH-CENTURY
Signed B:MARTIN LONDON, the brass eyepiece mount with sliding cover atop a turned and threaded lignum vitae section, the gilt-stamped green paper-covered draw-tube with lignum nose and brass objective mount, the cutaway pasteboard cylinder body with scalloped brass mounts, brass stage with glass disc and substage mirror.

15.9cm. (6¼in.) high.


Sold £14,400 Christie's auctions

A GERMAN BRASS AUGSBURG-TYPE EQUINOCTIAL COMPASS-SUNDIAL
BY ANDREAS VOGLER, AUGSBURG, LATE 18TH CENTURY
The square base pierced at the corners with baskets of foliage and engraved with foliage scrolls, further set with a compass, the hour ring engraved with the Roman numbers I-IX and III-XII, with a brass pointer, the folding latitude arch engraved for 15-83°, with a folding openwork plummet support, pierced and engraved with foliage, plummet missing, the back engraved 'Elev Poli Augsburg Paris 48 Cracau Prag 50 Leipzig Clln 51 Amsterdam 52', with three turned supports, signed And Vogle.

3 in. (7.2 cm.) square.


Sold £1,188 Christie's auctions

A PAIR OF GEORGE III 16-INCH TABLE GLOBES
BY BENJAMIN MARTIN, THIRD QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
Comprising a terrestrial and celestial globe in brass meridian rings with hour circle and pointer, on contemporary stands with horizon ring supported by six turned columns united by cross stretchers and turned circular platform and meridian support; the terrestrial cartouche by Jon Senex F.R.S [Now] made and sold with several new improvements by Benj. Martin only in Fleet Street, London, [175]7; the celestial cartouche ...In Annum 1740 Opera Johan Senex R.S.S. LONDINI.

24½ in. (62 cm.) high overall.


Sold £11,250 Christie's auctions