Corti, Vecchio and Co.
Barometer

CultureEnglish or American
Titles
  • Barometer
Datec. 1801–1804
Possible placeNew York , New York, United States
Probable placeEngland
MediumMahogany veneer and unidentified inlay; spruce and dogwood, probably European, possibly North American
Dimensions38 1/4 × 10 × 2 1/4 in. (97.2 × 25.4 × 5.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.74.10
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Federal Parlor
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

The wheel barometer, a mid-seventeenth-century innovation, was not widely produced until the late eighteenth century, coinciding with the introduction of the banjo shape case. In America the earliest record of barometer production credits James Winthrop in about 1786. Corti, Vecchio & Co. advertised that its firm made and repaired barometers, in addition to retailing looking glasses, art supplies, prints, and paintings. While it is debatable whether the company actually produced barometers, this example’s similarity to English ones suggests that Corti, Vecchio & Co. imported English components and simply assembled them.

Technical notes: Mahogany veneer, unidentified inlay; spruce (frame and rear door), dogwood, probably European, possibly North American (behind the upper dial). Originally the window was fitted with a convex glass. A turned brass finial was probably intended for the pediment.

Related examples: This is the only known barometer marked by Corti, Vecchio & Co. English examples are recorded in Goodison 1968, pp. 204–5; Christie’s, New York, sale 6842, June 3, 1989, lot 23.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


Provenance[Ginsburg & Levy, New York]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, by 1974; given to MFAH, 1974.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed around the dial, clockwise from the top center: Change / 30 FAIR / SET FAIR / 31 VERY DRY / 28 STORMY / MUCH RAIN / 29 RAIN
Inscribed on face of the dial: Corti Vecchio & Co. 112 Broad way / New York

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Card Table
c. 1735–1745
Mahogany and unidentified inlay; mahogany, cherry, eastern white pine, and spruce with needlework
B.69.406
scan from file photograph
c. 1745–1770
Mahogany; mahogany veneer, coniferous wood pine, spruce or fir, composition, gold leaf, and mirrored glass
B.59.34
scan from file photograph
c. 1760–1775
Mahogany veneer; spruce, composition, gold leaf, mirrored glass
B.69.81
Looking Glass
c. 1740–1770
Mahogany veneer; spruce, composition, gold leaf, mirrored glass
B.69.28
Looking Glass
c. 1740–1770
Mahogany veneer; spruce, composition, gold leaf, mirrored glass
B.69.29
Looking Glass
c. 1745–1770
Mahogany veneer, spruce, composition, gold leaf, and mirrored glass
B.58.103
scan from file photograph
c. 1770–1790
Coniferous wood, probably spruce, gilt
B.70.1
Étagère
John Henry Belter
1855
Rosewood and rosewood veneer; black walnut, mahogany, eastern white pine, yellow-poplar, undetermined exotic wood (possibly eucalyptus), marble, and mirrored glass
B.81.9.10
Looking Glass
c. 1750–1820
Mahogany veneer, unidentified secondary woods, gold leaf, and mirrored glass
B.2012.205
Basin Stand
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany, birch, and unidentified inlay; eastern white pine
B.82.9
Card Table
c. 1785–1820
Mahogany, satinwood, and unidentified inlay; yellow-poplar, white oak, hickory, and southern yellow pine
B.69.129
Card Table
c. 1800–1820
Mahogany and unidentified inlay; hard maple, hickory, and eastern white pine
B.65.9