marble samples in frame
Date: 1796
Inventory Number: 0046a
Classification: Mineral
Subject:
Donor: James Bowdoin III (1752 - 1811)
Place of Origin:
Dimensions:
28.8 x 73 x 3.2 cm (11 5/16 x 28 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.)
Bibliography:
The Apparatus of Science at Harvard, 1765-1800
Description:
A wood frame, painted black and partitioned, holds samples of 44 marbles in four rows. The marble is European in origin. The samples are polished and cut into squares. Each is approximately 6.2 cm on a side. Two samples have chipped corners. Paper labels are glued to the back of some samples and are contemporary with them. (See example in Wheatland's book, p. 199).
The marbles were collected in the 18th century and later mounted in the frame. The backside of the wooden frame has four blocks of wood screwed onto it to strengthen it.
The marbles were collected in the 18th century and later mounted in the frame. The backside of the wooden frame has four blocks of wood screwed onto it to strengthen it.
In Collection(s)
Signedunsigned
Historical AttributesOn 1 June 1796, the Trustees of Harvard College asked Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, the keeper of the mineral cabinet, to send their thanks to James Bowdoin for his gift of "one hundred and twenty specimens of European Marble." The marbles were mounted on three wooden panels.
Published ReferencesDavid P. Wheatland, The Apparatus of Science at Harvard, 1765-1800 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968), 199.
