CROSS-STAFF TELEMETER
Italy, Circa 1850
Unsigned. Shaft made of hardwood, bound in brass, divided in centimeters and halves from 0 to 65, and mounted with peephole sight and a heart-shaped handle at one end. A sliding crossbar has an adjustable slot calibrated from 0 to 86 units, where 20 units equals 1 centimeter. The principle is like that of the cross-staff -- in this case one sets the slot for an object of known size (a ship, person, etc.), then sights on that object through the peephole, sliding the crossbar along the staff until the object just fills the slot, and then reads the distance from the graduations on the staff.
Length 30".
Provenance:
Tesseract, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, 1995.
The Kelton Collection of Marine Art & Artifacts.

Excellent but missing the wood sighting piece on the slider. Appears to have broken off at some point.

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age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.