Monday, June 22, 2009

Barometers

This is beautiful, and it works.
Everybody should at least have an internal barometer......don't you sometimes feel when there is a storm brewing ?
And I am not talking about weather.

When I accessorize a home I am particularly fond of antiques that function.
My clients and their guests always seem to be fascinated by antiques that actually do something.
This (antiques that look as though they do something) is always an ice beaker with people. It gives people something to talk about, or ask you about.
I love the face of barometers, and they come in many, many shapes and sizes.

Antique Barometer

The mercury barometer was invented in 1643 by Torricelli, a student of Galileo, in Florence Italy. At first it was found, when turning a glass tube full of mercury upside down, that there was a vacuum at the top; then it was discovered that the height of the mercury column varied slightly as both its altitude was changed and as the weather changed. These two discoveries led to many years of research by scientists, mountaineers and weathermen, not to mention cabinet makers, glass blowers and engravers, and the antique barometer as we now know it was created.
Barometers made before 1680 are extremely scarce since they were originally very crude and were used by scientists as tools of discovery. Gradually, the simple plank with a tube attached became the stick barometer, with its ornate case work, engraved silvered-brass register plate, tube and cistern cover. Until about 1780 barometers were still the preserve of scientists and the wealthy, but they had started to move out of Italy, up through France and into England. The Italian craftsmen responsible for making barometers - and there were many from the northern towns of Venice and Milan, still famous for their glass blowing abilities - arrived in England in the late eighteenth century.

If you have a narrow space on a wall and you want to bring some interest into the space. The barometer is a good choice.
Get headaches ? This little gem will tell you when certain kinds of headaches are coming.
This barometer would look great on a mantle or a large end table, or even a console.
You can see some of the sizes, some are 40 x 10.
That is an unusual size.
We all have ' bald spots on our walls' and this size will be a real interesting fix.
The storm glass is pretty cool, this three dimensional look that will add impact to any room.
I have included a bit of history.....
Would you like to use a barometer in the design of one of your rooms ?
Do you have an internal barometer ???
How well does it work ?

some images;
and Cote De Texas

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom,Barometers

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