Victorian Mahogany Cased Set of Mineral and Semi-Precious Stone Specimens
A Victorian Mahogany Cased Set of Mineral and Semi-Precious Stone Specimens
Contained in three tiers of named and numbered sections from 1 to 144 including amber, amethyst, malachite, obsidian and topaz. The lid with an old printed-paper label ‘Thomas Varty Educational Depository York House 31 Strand London.... For Public and Private Tuition’ with key
Circa 1860-70
Size: 9.5cm high, 25.5cm wide, 15.5cm deep – 3¾ ins high, 10 ins wide, 6 ins deep
Contained in three tiers of named and numbered sections from 1 to 144 including amber, amethyst, malachite, obsidian and topaz. The lid with an old printed-paper label ‘Thomas Varty Educational Depository York House 31 Strand London.... For Public and Private Tuition’ with key
Circa 1860-70
Size: 9.5cm high, 25.5cm wide, 15.5cm deep – 3¾ ins high, 10 ins wide, 6 ins deep
The renaissance witnessed the emergence of an intellectual elite with a passion for natural objects and this was a trend that proved increasingly popular as the centuries went on. During the 17th century the scholar of the day would dabble in a combination of physics, astronomy, mathematics and engineering for which he gained unprecedented respect. Eventually in 18th and early 19th centuries lay people and the clergy were also fascinated by ‘natural history’, and it was these amateur scholars who travelled and corresponded with fellow intellectuals on a wide range of subjects who helped to develop the ‘science of nature’. Fossils, minerals, crystals and even prehistoric tools were all collected and catalogued and these ‘study cabinets’ formed the basis for the educational aids later used to teach Victorian pupils the rudiments of the natural sciences.
Victorian Mahogany Cased Set of Mineral and Semi-Precious Stone Specimens
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