A George IV Period Mahogany & Gilt Stick Barometer by J. Furby of Ripon.

A George IV period mercury stick barometer by J. Furby of Ripon.

An unusual variant for a stick barometer, this piece is comprised of a mahogany back with plaster and gilt floral paterae to the top and bottom sections. The paper dial is enclosed behind its original glass plate and has rococo styled motifs to either side of the scale, The maker’s mark for J. Furby is also incorporated into the decoration at the base of the dial. The bulb cistern is encased behind an oval mahogany cover attached to the back plate.

The maker J. Furby does not appear in Banfields “Barometer Maker’s & Retailers” but his specific work on stick barometers “Barometers – Stick or Cistern Tube” does site similar examples by Charles Howarth of Halifax & George Purcheon of Leeds which both have the unusual paper label dials and turned brass wire indicators. It is likely therefore that this style of barometer was particular to the North East of the UK at this period.