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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.

Details

  • Title: Barometer, Clock, and Thermometer
  • Creator: Ferdinand Berthoud
  • Date Created: about 1760
  • Location Created: Paris, France
  • Physical Dimensions: 118.4 × 34.3 × 10.2 cm (46 5/8 × 13 1/2 × 4 in.)
  • Type: Barometer
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Oak veneered with kingwood; gilt-bronze mounts; enameled metal; glass
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 2015.59
  • Culture: French
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Partial gift of Dr. Horace W. Brock in honor of Theodore Dell
  • Creator Display Name: Instruments by Ferdinand Berthoud (Swiss, 1727 - 1807, master 1753)
  • Classification: Decorative Art (Art Genre)

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