antik.it/Antique-compasses/8183-Large-Nautical-Compass/
Code 8183
EUR 2200.00
In stock
1756812123Code 8183 Large Nautical CompassLarge magnetic brass and glass nautical compass, signed KELVIN & HUGHES Ltd, Made in Great Britain, Serial No. 2298 J.M. Made in Great Britain in the early 1900s, mounted on a custom-made walnut and brass base. Complete with a double protractor circle, engraved externally on the brass circle and internally on the compass rose. The compass consists of a cylindrical brass and bronze container for stability, called a mortar. A hard metal stem is attached to the bottom of the mortar, holding the eight-wind compass rose in place, securely secured so that the zero point coincides with the magnetic polarity. To minimize friction, the mortar is filled with a low-freezing liquid, which also serves to quickly dampen any oscillations of the compass rose, and is enclosed by two sturdy protective glasses.
Good condition, fully functional. Measurements 42x31x23 cm – 16.5x12x9.1 inches.
The company Henry Hughes & Son was founded in London in 1838, primarily producing scientific and nautical instruments; in 1923, it built its first depth sounder. After the company closed in 1941 due to the war, it began collaborating with several instrument manufacturers, and in 1947, a new company called Kelvin & Hughes Ltd was founded, which produced, among other things, marine radar for the Ministry of Transport. The company was liquidated in 1966.
The Greeks and Romans were still unaware of the possibility of exploiting magnetic fields for orientation, while it seems that this possibility was already somewhat known to the Chinese: around 2600 BC, Emperor Hoang-Ti managed to defeat Prince Tchi-Yeou in battle thanks to a "magic" chariot, the See-Nan (chariot indicating south). Thanks to this device, the emperor identified the enemy's escape route, even though the enemy had hidden it with a blanket of smoke. Fixed to the chariot was a wooden human-shaped figure that rotated on itself and, with its arm outstretched, always pointed south (indicating south obviously also indicated north, but south was considered the most important cardinal point by the Chinese). The Chinese also used their discoveries relating to magnetic fields as a form of entertainment and spectacle: they threw magnetized arrows like dice, and these aligned in a south-north direction as if by magic, which greatly impressed and amazed the spectators.
The first references to the use of instruments that exploited magnetic force for navigation in Europe date back to the late 12th century, largely thanks to the knowledge brought by Arab merchants and navigators: we find references in Alexander Neckam's "De nominibus utensilium" and in the works of Guyot de Provins, in which the lodestone is described as a "sailor's companion." The inventory of a 13th-century Sicilian ship, the San Nicolò, also mentions the presence on board of a lodestone and a "wooden compass."
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Europe: delivering on the average in 2/3 weekdays.
Other countries: delivering on the average in 5 weekdays; custom duties charged to the buyer.
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Antique compasses
Code 8183 Large Nautical Compass
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