Ship's Sextant, 1893

Beautiful Victorian sextant a hundred per cent original, made by English manufacturer Bottomley in 1893. The sextant comes in parts, with all the pieces well preserved into a wooden box, possibly mahogany. It is an interesting ship device, made to tell the latitude in which the user is located by measuring the angle between two points. As well as the name and nationality of the manufacturer, we also know the name of the original owner (Cecil John Peareth) and the place in which it was originally purchased thanks to the different labels which appear into the box. The sextant is functional and the filters and lenses are in good condition. It is particularly remarkable the deep shine of the scale, made of silver-looking metal and with sharp and crisp numbers. The metal keeps its attractive antique look with the acquired patina of the years, and all its original charm. The wooden box where it is kept is also beautiful, and it has the original lock and hooks. Made of hard wood, it has nice dovetail joints; although it shows signs of wear, the wood can be easily restored. Into the box there are several compartments to preserve the pieces. Also we can see three labels: one of them shows the serial number (809), the name of the owner and the date of purchase (29th January, 1893), all handwritten. The circular label just below certifies that Bottomley (Billiter Lane, London) was prize medalist at the Great Exhibition of 1851.Inside the box there is also one more label which shows the name of the place where the sextant was purchased: Christie & Wilson, de Glasgow. And about the owner, we know he was as a midshipman in the Royal Navy at sea and ports abroad. He was listed in the 1881 census when he was aged 17. Overall, this sextant contains as much beauty as history in all its parts. It is a really nice item, perfect for any lover of shipping antiques. Box measurements (open): 330 mm high x 280 m width.