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Object Overview
Before us is a Carriage barometer, made in Germany circa 1955; the most likely manufacturer is Barigo. In appearance, this barometer belongs to the characteristic line of post-war West German decorative instruments in which historicising forms were combined with the restrained aesthetics of the mid-20th century. Particularly expressive in this case is the deliberate reference of the case to old carriage clocks and carriage barometers: this is not a literal replica of an antique instrument, but rather a stylistically reinterpreted version conceived in the spirit of the 1950s. The architecture is Neoclassical — a case tapering towards the top, corner columns, a stepped plinth, and a folding carrying handle — while the engraving on the side panels takes the form of a Neo-Baroque/Rococo cornucopia with a rose, and the four spherical finials on the top plate belong unmistakably to the Atomic Age aesthetic of the 1950s.
It is precisely this combination of tradition and modernised simplicity that gives the object its particular artistic appeal.
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aneroid capsule tensioned on a C-spring
aluminium, brass, glass, nickel silver, steel
Post-war West German decorative design often sought to give domestic and tabletop instruments a sense of respectability, solidity and “classicism”, while at the same time adopting a more concise graphic language and cleaner forms. As a result, barometers of this kind appear both deliberately traditional and thoroughly modern for their period. They preserve the aesthetic of the carriage instrument — compact, strictly vertical, portable, and distinctly architectural in silhouette — but reinterpret it through the visual language of the mid-20th century, when ornament became more restrained and construction more rational.
The barometer case has an elongated trapezoidal form, widening towards the base, which gives the instrument a stable and visually balanced appearance. It is made of metal with a brass finish, or possibly of brass sheet, and is constructed as a kind of tabletop “case” enclosing the dial and movement. The side panels are closed and smooth, with a satin finish; each is engraved with the ornamental motif mentioned above, adding a light decorative accent without disturbing the overall severity of the composition.
The top plate is flat, with projecting edges, and is decorated at the corners and near the central section with small spherical finials. These details reinforce the association with older carriage instruments, in which such decorative accents were common. At the centre of the top plate is an elegant carrying handle mounted on a spherical support; its light, gracefully curved silhouette forms an important stylistic element that completes the “carriage” character of the instrument. The lower part of the case is formed as a broad moulded base, projecting slightly beyond the outline of the side walls and giving the object both stability and a finished appearance.
The front of the instrument is occupied by a large light-coloured plate serving as the background for the dial. This plate appears to be made of thin aluminium, painted in a pale, milky white or slightly creamy tone. Upon it is printed a minimalist dial whose graphic design is highly characteristic of the mid-20th century.
The barometric scale is arranged concentrically and calibrated in millimetres of mercury, covering a range from 680 to 790 mmHg. The graduations are clear and restrained, without unnecessary ornament, while the scale is accompanied by concise German weather indications: REGEN, VERÄNDERLICH, and SCHÖN. This textual weather guidance emphasises the domestic purpose of the instrument while fitting naturally into the clear and functional design of the dial.
The dial is protected by a flat mineral glass, in the centre of which is a knurled knob connected to a brass trend-indicator hand. This allowed the user to set the auxiliary hand manually against the current reading and then observe whether atmospheric pressure was rising or falling.
The barometer movement is a compact aneroid mechanism of classic construction. At its core is a corrugated metal capsule from which the air has been evacuated. This capsule responds to changes in external atmospheric pressure: as pressure varies, it contracts or expands slightly.
The upper wall of the capsule is tensioned against a steel C-shaped spring, the lower end of which is secured to a steel crosspiece. From the upper end of this spring extends the main brass lever, which transmits movement further through the kinematic chain. It acts upon an angular lever rotating on a pivoted joint.
From the vertical arm of this angular lever, a fusee chain with an extension link runs to the pointer arbor. Through this chain, the movement is transmitted to the pointer shaft, which in turn rotates the indicating hand mounted upon it. In this way, the barely perceptible deformation of the aneroid capsule is transformed into a sufficiently broad and easily readable movement of the pointer across the scale.
Overall, this carriage barometer is a particularly characteristic and expressive example of a German decorative meteorological instrument of the mid-20th century. It successfully combines a historicising form recalling old carriage clocks and barometers with the clear post-war graphic language and compact aneroid mechanism of its own period. As a result, the instrument is of interest not only as a functional barometer, but also as an object of interior design reflecting the tastes and aesthetic ideas of West German domestic culture around 1955.