Barometers Realm

This Curved Thermometer Aneroid Barometer, dating from around 1880 and made by the French clockmaker Victor Reclus, is crafted from walnut — a warm, noble wood with a soft, silky sheen and an expressive grain pattern. Over time, the surface has acquired an even patina of golden-brown tone. The contrasting black details — the finial, circular mounts, and lower base — are highlighted with ebonizing, a finish typical of French and Belgian barometers of the late 19th century.

The upper section is crowned with a turned finial in the shape of an acorn, beneath which lies a small circular platform that smoothly transitions into the cylindrical column housing the thermometer. The curved thermometer plate is made of silvered brass and engraved with dual scales — Réaumur and Centigrade. The capillary tube is enclosed under glass with a rounded mercury reservoir, whose silvery reflection is clearly visible. The inscriptions GLACE and THERMOMÈTRE are rendered in the distinctive typography used by French workshops of the late nineteenth century.

Below it lies the circular main body containing the barometer, enclosed within a cylindrical brass case mounted into the wooden frame. The wide, stepped bezel holding the mineral glass is chromed, adding a bright accent to the composition.

The open dial is made of printed card and graduated in millimeters of mercury. Around the perimeter are traditional French weather inscriptions. At the bottom is the maker’s characteristic mark — the letter «R» within a rhombus. Reclus used two memorable official trademarks; the second, features a slightly eccentric sun bearing the initials V.R. At the center of the dial, the visible aneroid mechanism lends the instrument both scientific precision and decorative refinement.

The movement is based on an aneroid capsule with an internal coil spring and a lever transmission system. A remarkable feature of this construction is the first element to receive the motion of the capsule’s flexible wall: a spherical counterweight, which simultaneously serves as the actuator rod and the counterpoise of the main lever — an ingenious and rarely encountered solution.

The instrument terminates in a turned lower finial, mirroring the acorn-shaped top and completing the composition with a sense of symmetry and visual harmony.

This late 19th-century French wall barometer unites the precision of a scientific instrument with the aesthetic grace of the decorative arts: warm walnut, the silvery luster of metal, and the graphic discipline of the scales together make it an eloquent embodiment of Belle Époque craftsmanship.