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Eighteenth Century Boxwood "Napier's Bones."...
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$3,000.00
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Description
A Beautiful Set of Boxwood "Napier's Bones" - An Early Tool for Complex Calculations
Eighteenth Century Boxwood "Napier's Bones." Box measuring
3.75 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches (95.3 x 63.5 x 12.7 mm); rods measuring
1.25 x 0.25 inches (31.75 x 6.35 mm). Eleven calculating rods, one
plain spacing rod, and a back board; housed in a boxwood case with
a narrow sliding cover, decorated with geometric engravings.
Unsigned."Seeing there is nothing... that is so troublesome to mathematical practise [sic], nor that doth more molest and hinder calculations, than the multiplications, divisions, square and cubical extractions of great numbers, which besides the tedious ezpence [sic] of time, are for the most part subject to many slippery errors, I began, therefore, to consider in my mind, by what certain and ready art I might remove those hindrances." - John Napier, Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio (Napier, M.).
A brilliant scholar of many disciplines, John Napier (1550-1617) is perhaps best known for his work in mathematics. Over 20 years of research led to Napier describing and publishing his work on logarithms (Greek for 'ratio-number'), significantly reducing time needed for calculations, particularly for navigation and land surveys. However, not quite satisfied with his work, Napier continued to work on methods for simplifying and speeding up calculations, leading to the invention of 'Napier's bones' or rods, as seen here, which could be assembled in different ways to rapidly perform complex calculations. Napier's work influenced many of the greatest scientific minds of the era, including Johannes Kepler, who went on to advance portions of Napier's research, and Isaac Newton, who recommend using the 'bones' in repetitive computation. In a true testament to the value of his work, sets of these bones were regularly made and used hundreds of years after his death, and the slide-rule (developed on the principals of Napier's bones) was in regular use in every school, home, and office well into the 1970s.
Condition: Corners and edges of box and rods rubbed with some minor chips, since worn smooth. Light scattered soiling. Rods lightly rubbed. Box somewhat rubbed and abraded with a few small dampstains.
References: Napier, M., Memoirs of John Napier of Merchiston... (1834), pages 380-382, National Museums of Scotland, "Napier's Bones", L'E Turner, G., Scientific Instruments: 1500-1900, page 87.
Provenance: Christie's, October 24, 2001, lot 22.
Auction Info
2022 December 1 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6267 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2022
1st
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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