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Musical glasses

Twenty-five bowls mounted on a square section iron axle. On the left-hand end of the axle is mounted a flywheel, diameter 280mm, made from a lead rim of 22mm square cross section mounted on four iron spokes. The left-hand end of the axle rests in an 'open' wooden bearing slot with a metal lining. The right-hand bearing is closed and made of an iron arch with two bearing blocks of unidentified material. A curved iron crank (centres at c.50mm) connects to a composite wood and iron rod which in turn connects to the end of a lengthways wooden treadle hinged to the right-hand end of the stand. The foot 'pad' for the treadle is missing. The axle is 720mm above the floor. The metal water trough is missing - it would have been 950 x 315 by 135mm deep. There is a clearance in front of the player's knees. Case work and stand appear to be mainly of oak and a softwood. There is a lift-off cover consisting of a sliding 'tambour' of thin wooden slats on fabric. According to the Donaldson Catalogue, 'probably Venetian glass in a German case'.

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  • Repository:Royal College of Music Museum
  • Measurements:Length: circa 1200mm. Width: circa 375mm. Height: circa 900mm.