NAVAL TELESCOPE MADE OF BRASS AND VARIOUS MATERIALS, ROSS, LONDON, SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY telescopic with terminal and leather case; defects, traces of oxidation and scratches, the telescopic system to be overhauled, the case with part of the strap missing Bears engraved dedication, To Alex. R McLauren Invercauld from H.R.H. The Prince of Wales 1872 and hallmarked Ross London Closed, cm 26 Open, cm 59,5 Diam. cm 5 Case, cm 27,5X6 A VARIOUS MATERIAL AND BRASS NAVAL TELESCOPE, BY ROSS, LONDON, SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY; DEFECTS, TRACES OF OXIDATION, SCRATCHES, TO BE RECTIFIED, THE BOX WITH A PART OF STRAP MISSING Provenance: Henry Aldridge & Son (UK), The David Gainsborough Roberts Collection ; Royal Memorabilia, 19 January 2019, lot 307 A typical instrument among those used on board ships in the 19th century for general observation, it bears the prestigious dedication of the Prince of Wales to its owner and the signature Ross, a well-known instrument and lens factory, stamped into the barrel. Founded in 1830 by Andrew (a Society of Art award-winner and former winner of the Gold Medal for his microscopes at the Great Exhibition of 1851) and taken over on his death (1858) by his son, who moved it to Brook Street the following year, it was active throughout the 19th century; some of their work is now in important museum collections, including those at the Royal Museums in Greenwich.