Periodically something appears at auction which deserves a wider audience. Coming up in a Bonhams European Decor and Design auction in the United States is a stunning Carlo Ponti Megalethoscope with original bill of sales from 1876. It is estimated at US$8000-12,000. Details are below:
New England Industrialist Lucius Bowles Darling was a successful businessman and politician, including his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island (1885-1887), and owner of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island Music Hall Building. Darling and his and wife Angeline (Armington) embarked on a Grand Tour circa 1878, purchasing items for their Pawtucket residence. Together with the original itemized invoice from Carlo Ponti, Venice, 30 July 1878 for 764 lire.
Note:
The invention of the megalethoscope by optician and photographer Carlo Ponti before 1862 greatly enhanced the experience of viewing photographs. Ponti was born in Switzerland and studied photography in Paris; he later opened photographic studios throughout Europe and was an optician to King Victor Emanuel II of Italy. Ponti's advanced understanding of optics led him to create a device that could create the illusion of perspective and of viewing a scene in daylight or at night. The optical illusion is achieved by inserting a specially prepared photograph into the rear of the megalethoscope to be viewed through a large lens at the front of the instrument. To view a photograph in daylight, doors with attached mirrors are opened to reflect sunlight onto the photograph. The doors were left closed for a night scene and an oil lamp was placed behind the megalethoscope to light the photograph from behind, creating the illusion of a night-time scene. Ponti created different models of the megalethoscope for both prints and transparent views. He exhibited the viewer at the International Exhibition in 1862 for which he received a medal. Given that Lucius Darling owned a music hall, it is possible it was used to delight audiences with scenes of Europe.
See: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29590/lot/121/carlo-ponti-megalethoscope-on-stand-italian-c-1865/
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