Grand Tour Bronze Thermometer of the Luxor Obelisk

Description

A bronze cast of the Luxor Obelsik, with one side fitted for a thermometer. This was a popular Grad Tour … more A bronze cast of the Luxor Obelsik, with one side fitted for a thermometer. This was a popular Grad Tour souvenir in the late 19th century. Now missing the glass tube.

The Luxor Obelisk is over 3,000 years old and was originally situated outside of Luxor Temple, where its twin remains to this day. It first arrived in Paris on 21 December 1833, having been shipped from Luxor via Alexandria and Cherbourg, and three years later, on 25 October 1836, was moved to the center of Place de la Concorde by King Louis-Phillipe. It was given to France by Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ruler of Ottoman Egypt.
The obelisk, a yellow granite column, rises 23 metres (75 ft) high, including the base, and weighs over 250 metric tons. It is decorated with hieroglyphs exalting the reign of the king Ramses II. less