Getty Museum

Barometer, Clock, and Thermometer

Date

about 1760

Medium

Oak veneered with kingwood; gilt-bronze mounts; enameled metal; glass

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

Incorporating a barometer, clock, and thermometer, this object is characteristic of the fashionable interest in science that marked the Enlightenment. Owning scientific instruments was considered a mark of distinction, and some of the most prestigious artists of the time designed casings to house them. It is not known who made the elaborate case for this piece, but the instruments themselves were made by one of the preeminent clockmakers and scientists of the day, Ferdinand Berthoud, a clockmaker to Louis XV who is credited with many horological (time measurement) innovations.

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