The earliest reference to a cuckoo clock was found in the inventory of the Prince Elector of Saxony in 1619, but since real cuckoo clocks were not developed for another century, this clock was probably decorated with a bird. Legend has it that a peddler came from Bohem, the land of the Czechs, with a crude mechanical clock. The gears were wooden and it used stones for weights with no pendulum. The mechanism was called a wood beam clock. The people of the Black Forest were poor although they were talented wood carvers. They began to make clocks, which they embellished with grapevines, birds, hunting scenes. They created little figures that would come out of the clock on the half-hour and the hour and dance. Some clocks had a rooster come out and crow.

In 1712 Friedrich Dilger, a clockmaker, heard about new technology in France and spent a year learning new ways to make clocks, bringing the technology back. Looking for an antique cuckoo clock for sale? Visit our webshop or our shop in Perth, WA.

Franz Anton Ketterer
A clockmaker in the village of Schonwald in the Black Forest substituted a small bird for the more complex figures. Franz Anton Ketterer may have gotten his inspiration from the rooster clocks. He had found that by using a pair of tiny bellows, blowing air through two little pipes, he could reproduce the call of the cuckoo, which was an easier sound to emulate and more pleasant as well.

Development of an Industry
The cuckoo clocks became a trend. Local people needed a new income source. Since inheritance followed the tradition of primogeniture, the oldest son inheriting everything, there were a lot of younger sons who needed work. They took up clock making quickly. The local people began to specialise as manufacturing grew into a large cottage industry. Carvers made the decorations. Carpenters created the boxes. Metal workers made the gears and chains. Artists painted the final product. In 1850, the Duke of Baden founded a clock-making school, which taught mathematics and drawing, more than the mechanics of manufacture.

Cuckoo clocks continue to be made in the Black Forest although with modern tools and technology. But the descendants of Dilger and Ketterer create their marvels with the same centuries old pride of workmanship. Cuckoo clocks are a truly great addition to our assortment of antique clocks.

Dutch Antiques in Perth carries an ever-changing inventory of these sought-after antique barometers for sale. But what is the history of these barometers, where do they originate and what kind of barometers are there?

What is a barometer?

A barometer helps measure atmospheric pressure. This device played an important role in temperature and weather prediction. It contributed to the development of the altimeter, and other instruments used to measure changes in altitude. Modern scuba divers use aneroid barometers to keep track of the contents of the air tank.

Evangelista Torricelli

Scientists often refer to “torrs” of pressure in honour of the Italian mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647). He created a barometer by inserting a partly sealed glass tube into a cistern of liquid mercury. His work eventually led to the creation of the first commercially available barometers.

An evolving craft

For many years, mercury became the metal of choice for measuring changes in temperature and air pressure. This liquid metal expands and contracts within a vacuum in response to changing environmental conditions. As time passed, scientists learned that liquid mercury is highly toxic.

A great collector’s item

Inventors worked hard to develop completely enclosed cisterns and glass tubing for early mercury barometers. Some of the first devices used heavy wooden frames to promote stability. The decorations used on the exteriors of these useful tools reflected changing design trends. Today, hobbyists sometimes specialise in collecting barometers from different places or historical periods.

How barographs was benefiting from these developments

The appearance of early aneroid barometers in the mid-1800s initially offered a less accurate, yet highly portable, alternative. These metal components eventually became popular as a mechanism widely used within antique barographs, glass-enclosed antique scientific instruments. Barographs recorded changes in barometric pressure on rolled parchment.

Different kind of antique barometers

As with most antique products there has been quite some development throughout the years. From internal mechanics to sizes, materials and weight. The barometer has been developed into different variations as well;

Cistern Barometers

The earliest commercial barometers utilised cisterns of mercury connected to a glass tube. Several types of these “stick” barometers ultimately gained popularity. Some collectors focus on early wooden barometers with visible mercury glass cisterns dating from the later 1600s and early 1700s. Later, manufacturers developed much thinner pieces designed to screw into walls.

Stick And Angled Barometers

Fortin antique stick barometers possessed a screw to permit the adjustment of mercury levels. Kew Pattern pieces relied upon an enclosed mercury cistern. They either hung on a wall, or maintained a free standing “bench” configuration allowing the barometer to sit atop a mantle or a table conveniently. One variation of the cistern barometers, the angled barometer, relied upon a protruding “L-shaped” extension of glass tubing. This feature exaggerated the movements of the mercury column, assisting owners in reading the gauge. Angled barometers typically hung on a fence or a wall.

Banjo Barometers (or Wheel barometer)

By the 1800s, many companies sold barometers employing an enclosed “U-shaped” mercury cistern. An antique banjo barometer like this usually displayed a large visible bulb on the upper end of the device. Somewhat resembling antique wall clocks, they frequently supplied stylish décor qualities. Some Victorian designers utilised ornate carvings and intricate woodworking inlays to decorate these pieces, for instance. Today, collectors prize fine examples of antique banjo barometers.

Portable Barometers

Metal-encased portable antique pocket barometers also attract the interest of collectors. Some of these pieces date from the early 1800s. Gold and brass supplied popular casing metals. Discover eye-catching antique barometers at Dutch Antiques in Perth. We carry excellent selections of antique barometers for sale. Call (08) 9385-3054 to request assistance!