A BRASS TELESCOPE BY TULLY A very fine quality early 19th century brass solar and lunar telescope supported on a gun barrel stem standing on an articulated tripod. The whole with a subsidiary arm for fine adjustments. The main telescope has a small side lens for basic view finding. Signed ‘W. Tulley Brothers Islington. London’. Retaining its original carrying case and alternative lenses. England, circa 1830 Height: 23½in (60cm) Length: 51in (130cm) O3A0214
A PAIR OF DOUBLE MAGNUM DECANTERS In boldly cut diamond faceted glass with collars around the neck and mushroom form stoppers. Liège. Belgium, circa 1840 Height: 15½in (40cm) O3A0247
The signature relates to William Tulley who worked for most of his life with his brother Thomas and father Charles, in Territ’s Court in Islington. His father and he were pioneers in lens and telescope manufacture. The early 19th century had witnessed the emergence of the taste for private observatories, discoveries were published constantly by the Astronomical Society of London (founded 1821) or in “philosophical transactions”.
The market leader was Dollond but Charles Tulley and his sons were very much in the vanguard of developing and catering to this taste. Employing newly bright and clear imported lenses from Guinand in Switzerland the family supplied many highly regarded instruments to the Astronomical Society and its noble supporters. Sadly Charles died in 1833 and for a brief period William took over the business and was able to
trumpet his own name on his work. He too passed away in 1838 and his younger brother followed in 1846, thus ending the astronomical chapter in Islington, London. William’s greatest recognised personal contribution was to be the first in 1824 to make achromatic microscope object glasses, how much his father’s success was down to him we will never know.
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