Pocket set of drawing instruments

Peter Dollond

ca. 1755–60 · Case: shagreen with silver mounts; Instruments: brass, steel, ivory · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This étui contains tools for a draftsman, including a protractor, dividers, and an ivory rule. The maker of the instruments, John Dollond, was trained as a silk weaver, a trade he abandoned in 1752, when he began to collaborate with his son making optical instruments. From the 1760s on, such English luxury goods were available in Paris in magasins anglais.

Artist

Peter Dollond

Date

ca. 1755–60

Medium

Case: shagreen with silver mounts; Instruments: brass, steel, ivory

Culture

British, London

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941