Make your offer

A rare and fascinating tabletop optical instrument in copper and silvered bronze, made in Italy in the second half of the 18th century, featuring a large natural agate lens, polished and lenticular, mounted frontally within a radial frame.

The object was designed to be placed in front of a candle flame, taking advantage of the stone's optical properties: the light passes through the agate, highlighting its concentric veins and generating a surprising internal light effect, transforming the flame into a filtered, amplified, and visually spectacular source.

It is not a decorative element, but a device designed to achieve a backlit effect, perfectly in keeping with the scientific, experimental, and marvelous taste typical of 18th-century Wunderkammern.

The structure features a circular base decorated with spiral motifs, a central stem, and a lamp holder positioned behind the lens, specifically designed to allow the proper passage of light.

An extremely rare object, halfway between an optical instrument, a scientific curiosity, and a cabinet of curiosities.

Materials: copper, silver-plated bronze, natural agate
Period: second half of the 18th century
Origin: Italy
Height: 19 cm
Base diameter: 12 cm
Condition consistent with its period.