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Scientific Instruments

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Scientific Instruments For Sale
Italian Radiophonograph RR126 and Record Player by Castiglioni, Brionvega 1960s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Radiophonograph RR126 and Record Player by Castiglioni Brothers for Brionvega, 1960s. RR126 radio phonograph and turntable with a rectangular wooden base with dark brown prof...
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Berkel LP Scales
Located in Roma, IT
Berkel scale mod.LP from the 1960s made in the Netherlands
Category

1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Iron

Vintage Sculptural Magnifying Lens Glass
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Sculptural magnifying lens glass 7.38 w x 1.5 d x 6 h Unrestored vintage condition Refer to images.
Category

Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Glass

Mahogany Cased Barograph
Located in Cheshire, GB
Mahogany cased barograph, having five glazed removable lid, and a drawer below to house the charts. The mechanical eight-day movement is housed in the drum, fitted with a seven-day c...
Category

Late 19th Century British Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Mahogany

Late 19th Century Wooden Viennese Pharmacy Containers in the Set of 22 Pieces
Located in Vienna, AT
Wooden Viennese pharmacy containers of the late 19th century, in a set of 22 pieces. The containers with lids are made of boxwood and printed with the names of various spices in ...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Boxwood

Real Tennis Print, Ed Barre by W. Bromley
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
A wonderful and extremely rare real tennis, Royal Tennis, Jeu de Paume, Court Tennis Picture, J. Edmond Barre By W. Bromley. An exceptionally rare mid-19t...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Sporting Art Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Paper

Very Large Ophtalmotrope
Located in Peekskill, NY
What is an ophthalmotrope? An ophthalmotrope is an apparatus for demonstrating the movements of the eye and the action of the different muscles which produce them, consisting essentially of a model eyeball to which are attached strings and pulleys to duplicate the line force of the muscles. We think this example is most likely French from the early 20th century. The base is marble with paw feet. It’s also quite large at well over 3 foot tall. This instrument is very complete. It also includes additional parts to set the mechanics up in a different way. In the pictures above the strings are attached to a keyboard. The alternative replaces the keyboard with string guide with a dozen hanging tubular weights. This is one of the largest and most decorative examples we have seen. I have only seen pictures of ophthalmotropes and never one this fine and complete. It’s as rare and impressive show piece. This item was also used in the movie Knives Out,
Category

Early 20th Century French Industrial Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Beautiful Glass Apothecary Jar - price per piece
Located in Brussels, BE
Cut-glass top and blown glass jar beautiful quality. Multiple available
Category

20th Century European Scientific Instruments

Materials

Blown Glass, Cut Glass

A set of Victorian oak Jockey scales by Youngs
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A set of Victorian oak Jockey scales by Youngs, of typical form with an upholstered seat adjacent to a brass balance, with four weights of 8, 4, 2 and 1 stone, the frieze with a carved rosette and leaf band, raised on four barley twist legs, reupholstered in deep buttoned green leather, stamped ‘Youngs, London’. English, circa 1860. Footnote: John Young & Son, Royal Warrant Holders to Queen Victoria, operated out of 5 Bear Street and 46 Cranbourn St, Leicester Square, London W.C., from 1812-1901. They are recorded by the Museo Galileo as ‘makers of balances’ and in their own trade adverts...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Italy 1939s Sketch Futurist Poster "Day of Two Crosses" Against Tuberculosis
Located in Milan, IT
Sketch of the futurist poster "Day of two crosses, 16th April 1939, XVII", mixed technique of pastel and water-color, for an Italian campaign against tuberculosis, to inform people a...
Category

1930s Italian Futurist Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Paper

Machine Age Art Deco Doctors or Bathroom Floor Model Scale Weigh Master by Hanso
Located in New York, NY
Great Machine Age, American Art Deco floor scale, Weigh Master by Hanson. The scale is fully functional, it shows cosmetic wear to the paint finish, and th...
Category

1930s American Art Deco Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Fairbanks Scale Co American Doctors Scale
Located in Cheshire, GB
Fairbanks doctors scale in black with brass adjustable measuring stick, and cast iron pressure plate. Retaining there original weights. Dimensions: Heig...
Category

Early 20th Century American Scientific Instruments

Materials

Iron

A scale weighs travel letters, France 1880.
Located in Milan, IT
A scale weighs travel letters of gilt brass, S-shaped round plate of gilt brass. Ring to hold it between the fingers of one hand and pliers to insert the travel letters to be weighed...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

1960s Industrial Medical Cabinet
Located in Norwalk, CT
This is a great medical cabinet from the 1960s, ready to keep all your goodies safe this is a great 1960s accent item that is sure to be a one of a kind addition to your decor!
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Piece of Blue Azure Lapis Lazuli
Located in London, GB
This remarkable piece is a polished Lapis Lazuli slab, displaying an intense, deep blue color that is both rich and captivating. Originating from the mineral-rich regions of Afghanis...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Afghan Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Lapis Lazuli

An Early 18th-Century Bronze Ring Sundial
Located in Firenze, IT
SHIPPING POLICY: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). Unsigned, but probably early 1700'...
Category

Early 18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

Spanish Moorish Mortar and Pestle 16th/17th century
Located in DELFT, NL
Spanish - Moorish Gothic bronze mortar and pestle with ribs, most likely from Andalusia. Of conical shape, resting on a circular uneven base, the exterior decorated with a series of ...
Category

17th Century Spanish Gothic Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

Itali mid-century modern Metal medical sterilizer by Carlo Erba Milano, 1900s
Located in MIlano, IT
Itali mid-century modern Metal medical sterilizer by Carlo Erba Milano, 1900s Metal medical sterilizer made up of 3 pieces, inserted one inside the other. The instrument was inserted...
Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Onix Telephone In Glass And Brass Design 1960's Modernism
Located in Taranto, IT
Onix Telephone In Glass And Brass Design 1960's Modernism. Murano glass and brass frame. Very rare to find of this model. The item is in good conservative condition, no major cosm...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Charles and Ray Eames Molded Plywood Leg Splint for Evans in Original Wrapper
Located in Chicago, IL
These leg splints were designed by Charles and Ray Eames and produced for the United States Navy by the Evans Products Company, molded plywood division. They're still in their origin...
Category

1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plywood

Seldom seen Industrial Military "Field" Dental Chair , Canadian War Museum
Located in Buffalo, NY
Seldom seen Industrial Military "Field" Dental Chair , as seen in the Canadian War Museum .. Amazing industrial design, great color , patina. Retains original label (see photo) dated...
Category

1940s Canadian Industrial Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Steel

A paradoxical orreere of earth-moon system and its movement, Italy circa 1860.
Located in Milan, IT
A paradoxical orreere that demonstrates the earth-moon system and its movement. The base of the planetarium is made of fruit wood, circular in shape with three bell-shaped wood feet....
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal, Brass, Iron

Large Format Mahogany Studio Camera on Adjustable Stand c.1890-1930
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT An antique large format camera sitting on an articulating and geared stand. Camera has a Mahogany case constructed with dovetail joi...
Category

Late 19th Century American Industrial Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Iron

A pharmacy mushroom model: Chanterle Raku, Italy 1950.
Located in Milan, IT
A pharmacy model of a specimen of Chanterle Raku mushroom, made in painted plaster, on a green oval-shaped plaster base with moss and hay. Italy circa 1950.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster

Antique stereoscopic table for brothels, Germany, late 19th century.
Located in Milan, IT
Antique stereoscopic table viewer used in brothels, to view erotic images printed on paper for a fee. This device consists of a parallelepiped in fruit wood painted black, with the s...
Category

Late 19th Century German Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal, Brass

English Brass Scale with Deep Weighing Pan from the 20th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English brass weighing scale from the 20th century, stated to weigh up to 28lbs. This 20th-century English brass weighing scale is a striking example of both functionality and vin...
Category

20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

French 18th Century Barometer
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A non working French barometer . Beautiful paint and gilding.
Category

18th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Refractor telescope by François Can, 81 Quai de l'Hôpital, Lyon
Located in London, GB
2 ¾ inch refractor telescope by François Can, 81 Quai de l'Hôpital, Lyon. Circa 1835. Mounted on a cast iron stand with adjustable height, folding tripod feet, and castors. 2 ¾ inc...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Iron

Antique Pestle & Mortar Set, English, Brass, Chemist Shop Instrument, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique pestle and mortar set. An English, brass chemist shop instrument, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Dashing Victorian pestle and mortar with fine...
Category

Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Large Early 20th c. French Medical Hand Model c.1920
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT Early 20th century large French plaster hand model used as a medical teaching device. Lacquered plaster custom heavy steel stand. Shown with life size hand model. CREA...
Category

Early 20th Century French Industrial Scientific Instruments

Materials

Steel

Bronze mortar, Spain, 16th century.
Located in Madrid, ES
Ribs mortar. Bronze. Spain, 16th century. Cylindrical bronze mortar with two geometrically shaped handles on the sides and a series of “ribs” on the outside, rectangular and pointed...
Category

16th Century Spanish Gothic Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

Gothic mortar. Bronze. Spanish school, 15th century.
Located in Madrid, ES
Gothic mortar. Bronze. Spanish school, 15th century. Tubular mortar with a slightly curved mouth and a sunken cylindrical base that presents a relief decoration centered on a strip ...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Spanish Gothic Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

French Modern Painted And Giltwood Sunburst Barometer
Located in Houston, TX
French Modern Painted and Giltwood Sunburst Barometer. This unusual French mid century modern star shaped barometer is executed in a beautiful shade of red with gilt wood accents. Th...
Category

1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

Anatomical model: a human brain inserted into a sectioned skullcap, Italy 1920.
Located in Milan, IT
Anatomical model for schools, educational use, depicting a human brain (enlarged 2 times). Model that can be dismantled into six parts which highlights both the internal and external...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster

George III Mahogany Zograscope
Located in Brooklyn, NY
George III mahogany zograscope with inlaid base and frames and a ring and urn turned shaft, circa late 18th or early 19th century. Provenance: Philadelphia Main Line. Dimensions: 24....
Category

Late 18th Century American George III Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Mahogany

Art Deco Nudy Lady Thermometer
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Celluloid nude lady Art Deco thermometer.
Category

20th Century Art Deco Scientific Instruments

Antique Student's Field Microscope, English, Scientific Interest, Edwardian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique student's field microscope. An English, brass scientific instrument in carry case, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Superb brass instrument with fine ...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Swid Powell Magnifying Glass in Original Box
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning Richard Meier designed magnifying glass for Swid Powerll, having ebony wood handle, silver plate and glass, plus original sleeve and box.
Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Silver Plate

Vintage Reichert Austria Microscope 241 653 in Wooden Box with Accessories
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Reichert Austria Microscope Number 241 653 in Wooden Box with Accessories as Pictured. Circa Late 20th Century. Measurements: Box: 14.5" H x 9" W x 10.5" D.
Category

Late 20th Century Art Deco Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Automa Tedesco Gabbia Con Uccello Cantante e Animato 1920s Karl Griesbaum
Located in Milan, IT
Automa Animato Tedesco Gabbia Con Uccellino del 1920 circa costituito da una gabbia rotonda in ottone dorato con al suo interno un uccello animato canterino su di un trespolo con un ...
Category

Early 19th Century German Art Deco Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Italian mid-century modern Round brass medicine scale weights, 1900-1950s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Round brass medicine scale weights, 1900-1950s Set of vintage round brass medicine scale weights. The weight set is made up of 6 pieces, which can be inser...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

French 19th Century Brass Fabric Scale on Wooden Base by the Maison Piat
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French brass fabric scale from the 19th century with wooden base, from the Maison Piat. Created in Paris during the 19th century, this fabric scale, made of brass, is mounted on a ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Antique 3 Draw Telescope, English, Fruitwood, Brass, Henry Hughes, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique 3 draw telescope. An English, fruitwood and brass terrestrial refractor by H. Hughes, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Perfect for bird watching, landscape appreciation, wildlife, or maritime observation. Equally suitable for observing the night sky Delightful early Victorian telescope...
Category

Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Wooden box containing a travel surgical set, signed Galante, Paris 1870.
Located in Milan, IT
Oak wood box, containing a set of 8 iron surgical instruments, equipped with black horn and rosewood handles. Signed H.Galante & fils. Paris, France circa 1870.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Iron

Wall-Mounted Large Weather Station in Art Nouveau Style Carved Walnut Belgium
Located in Verviers, BE
Wall-mounted weather station in carved walnut made in Spa Belgium by Valentine Engel High quality mechanism with Jeweled movement barometer and thermometer (in centigrade) Unusual de...
Category

1910s Belgian Art Nouveau Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Walnut

A set of botanical models of a plant embryo, Fisons Scientific, London UK 1930.
Located in Milan, IT
A set of five botanical models depicting in numbered sequence the development of a vegetal embryo. Made out of hand painted plaster, the models are mounted on a wooden base. T. Gerra...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster, Wood

Edmé Beauchêne disarticulated human skull with museum provenance, France
Located in Leuven , BE
Edmé François Chauvot de Beauchêne (1780, Île-de-France – 1830, Paris), was a French physician, surgeon and anatomist. He was Chief of l'hopital Saint-Antoine Paris, the Deputy Chief...
Category

19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Small French 20th Century Terrestrial Globe on Turned Black Wooden Base
Located in Atlanta, GA
A small French terrestrial globe from the 20th century, with metal protractor and circular black wooden base. Created in France during the 20th century, this terrestrial globe is con...
Category

20th Century French Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

19th Century French Iron Balance - Antique Small Brass Scale
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A small, antique French intricate brass balance with different weights in solid brass, in good condition. The iron scale is topped with the original polished brass plates. The scale ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal, Brass, Iron

Antique Danish SNTS Morse Telegraph Round Relay of brass and mahogany
Located in Sweden, SE
The telegraph relay made in late 19th century by The Great Northern Telegraph Company (Det Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab A / S) that was founded in Denmark in June 1869. It was set up as a merger of three recently established telegraph companies initiated by Danish industrial mogul Carl Frederik Tietgen. The brass and wood instrument is state of the art creation by legendary Danish engineers. Serial 48062. Size app.: 11 cm high (4”) 15,8 cm deep and wide (6”). Very good, little of age n usage wear, original state, very well preserved and likely functioning. Please study high-res pictures for cosmetic condition! App. 2,1 kg weight it is going to measure some 3 kg packed for shipment. The aim of the firm was to create a worldwide telegraph company. The former headquarters of the GNTC on The Bund, Shanghai. The starting point of The Great Northern Telegraph Company (now GN Store Nord) was a concession agreement, which C.F. Tietgen made with the Russian Tzar...
Category

Late 19th Century Danish Art Deco Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

19th Century Bronze and Lead Weight in its Interior of Seven Pounds
Located in Marbella, ES
19th Century Bronze and Lead Weight in its Interior of Seven Pounds
Category

Late 20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

Rare 1914 Industrial cast Iron Lawn Sprinkler/Sculpture Pennsylvania Rainmaker
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare 1914 Industrial cast Iron Lawn Sprinkler/Sculpture Pennsylvania Rainmaker, 40 years and I have never seen one,, Amazing piece of industrial design / sculpture , Would make a great lawn , yard...
Category

1910s American Industrial Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Iron

English Silver Plated Bronze Barometer Covered with Hand-Sewn Leather
Located in Marbella, ES
English Silver Plated Bronze Barometer Covered with Hand-Sewn Leather
Category

Late 20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Aluminum, Bronze

A Victorian Brass Microscope By J.P. Cutts & Sons
Located in New York, NY
A Victorian English brass microscope marked ‘J. P. Cutts & Sons / Opticians to her Majesty / Sheffield’. The company operated for most of the 19th Century under many variations of th...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Decorative French Ceramic Thermometer by Mithê Espelt (circa 1960s)
Located in London, GB
Decorative, French vintage ceramic thermometer and casing by Mithé Espelt (circa 1960s). A delightful piece with stylised French coq and castle motifs. The hen is in a lovely deep green and a creamy white; the castles are yellow and green. With a thermometer that accurately measures the temperature in Centigrade, the ceramic is also in very good overall condition. The felt backing is intact and in pristine condition. A truly charming and stylish item for your home or work place. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request a video may be provided. These works do not generally bear any signature. Not signing her pieces was Espelt's way of shunning recognition and fame. Dimensions: H 45.5 cm / 17.9" W 12 cm / 4.7" D 1.5 cm / 0.6" About the artist: Born in 1923 in Lunel in the South of France, Mithé Espelt grew up in a family of affluent winegrowers and was very close to her grandfather who passed on his love for the arts and brought her into contact with major intellectuals and artists of the time. She rubbed shoulders with Jean Hugo, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Christian Bérard and many others. She graduated from the Beaux-Arts school in Montpellier in 1942, and then studied at the Fontcarrade school where she took a special interest in ceramics. She began by designing buttons for fashion houses in Paris, before managing the entire production of buttons and jewellery at the Lydia Chartier workshop and collaborating with Line Vautrin, amongst others. At the end of the war, she returned to her native south, opened her studio and took advantage of the growing excitement around ceramics, particularly those from the town of Vallauris. To stand out and sustain the workshop business she started designing gilded jewellery...
Category

1960s French Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Ceramic

Vintage 2 Draw Telescope, English, Leather, Brass, Terrestrial Refractor, C.1960
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage 2 draw telescope. An English, leather on brass terrestrial refractor, dating to the mid 20th century, circa 1960. Perfect for bird watching, landscape appreciatio...
Category

Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Bilancia Da Farmacia Inglese F E Becker & CO Entro Teca Inizio 1900
By F. E. Becker & Co
Located in Milan, IT
Antica Bilancia Da Farmacia F. E. Becker & CO conservata entro una teca a giorno costruita in legno e vetro. Alla bilancia si accede sollevando l’antina frontale, dopo di che si può ...
Category

Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

An Antique Brass Library Telescope With Tripod
Located in New York, NY
A large brass library telescope with a tripod of three folding metal legs. The telescope consists of 3 sections. The first and largest is the main body of the telescope, the second i...
Category

19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Iron

Vintage, New and Antique Scientific Instruments

Decorating with vintage, new and antique scientific instruments, as well as other authentic collectibles and curiosities that can be found on 1stDibs, presents an opportunity to create a unique, natural history museum-like atmosphere in your home that can provoke conversation as often as it pays tribute to how far we’ve come in understanding our world.

The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration) refers to a period during the 15th to 18th centuries that saw Europeans taking to the high seas to explore, trade and conquer various regions of the world. What we know about geography, the advancement of sea vessels and the development of scientific instruments all broadened significantly during this time.

With every new finding about our world, scientists invented tools to measure and record. While many of these objects are now obsolete, they are essentially works of art and have a rich history. Scientific instruments of a bygone era represent how far science and technology have advanced.

If you’re interested in introducing antique scientific instruments and tools to your decor to add contrast or draw attention to otherwise unexplored corners of your living room or dining room, there are many options to consider as far as textures and colors go. Like any curious decorative object that draws attention to your home library or mantel, vintage scientific instruments will likely add spirit to any conversation that might take place over cocktails or dinner.

Create an intriguing focal point with Georgian scientific instruments, such as stick barometers with mahogany cases or lacquered brass telescopes. These items stem from an era named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who ruled England in succession starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign, which lasted until 1837). Just as there was beautiful jewelry produced during the period that today is coveted by collectors, there is much to be found in the collectibles and curiosities realm too.

Mid-century modern scientific instruments also capture a period of rapid progress, representing groundbreaking discoveries that defined the 20th century. Wouldn’t antique anatomical models of the 1950s pair well with your eye-catching abstract paintings, George Nelson clock or Florence Knoll sofa?

Whether you’re looking for a way to showcase your passion for chemistry or aviation or are making room in your foyer for a breathtaking industrial-style electronic time tower manufactured by Patek Philippe, 1stDibs offers a collection of vintage, new and antique scientific instruments that includes topographic tools, laboratory equipment and more.

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