Object data
brass and glass
height 22 cm × width 15.5 cm × depth 18.5 cm
Viehoff & Mathiessen
Model of an Axiometer
United Kingdom, c. 1870 - c. 1877
Inscriptions
- inscription, top centre: VIEHOFF & MATTHIESSEN
- inscription, bottom centre: PATENTEES
- inscription, on the side: PATENTED / IN /ENGLAND & FRANCE BREVETÉ EN FRANCE / ET EN / ANGLETERRE / [...] MAKER
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883
Object number: NG-MC-1327
Copyright: Public domain
Entry
Model of a steering indicator and axiometer.
The steering wheel is attached to an alarm clock-shaped casing on four small wheels. Just below the steering wheel is a lamp in the casing, which lights it from the inside. On the other side, the casing has a large dial covered with opaque glass on the inside. A large vertical slot is cut out of the dial, as are two quadrants open on each side. When turning the steering wheel, short slots light up according to the position of the steering wheel and will project their silhouette on to the floor or opposing wall. The dial is duplicated on a smaller scale on top of the casing, for the benefit of the man at the wheel. The internal gearwork of the model is not functioning. The manual that belongs to the model is missing.
The model was shown at the Exhibition Universelle in Paris in 1867. It was sent to The Hague by Chief Engineer J.W. Calten in 1877.1 Besides serving as an indicator dial for the man at the wheel, the machine was used as an axiometer to drive the steering gear.
Literature
J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1327
Citation
J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'Viehoff & Mathiessen, Model of an Axiometer, United Kingdom, c. 1870 - c. 1877', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.245129
(accessed 16 April 2024 19:31:36).