Lot 283

F. Dent, 61 Strand, London, Case No. 1381, 60 mm, circa 1870
A rare meridian instrument 'Dipleidoscope' according to Dent's patent of 1843
Case: brass.
The second dipleidoscope as designed by Dent in this auction - this one was created by his son and successor Frederick William Dent. It is a kind of economy version that has not all the features of the classic example but is identical in design to the instrument in the German Museum in Munich and is often illustrated in publications. Even Dent himself uses this model in his paper on theory and use of his invention; it is also explained in the Civil Engineer and Architects' Journal of July 1844.