Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.10062
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Amethyst under polarized light
Date
1816
Creator
William Home Lizars (1788 - 1859, British) , Artist
Object type
Library reference
Tracts/X69/1
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 262mm
width (print): 192mm
width (print): 192mm
Subject
Description
Sixteen figures showing specimens of amethysts viewed under polarized light and exhibiting veined structures. Brewster notes in his text: “The observations...are the result of an immense variety of experiments, which accidental circumstances put it in my power to make upon this interesting mineral. Having access to whole bagfuls of amethystine pyramids from the Brazils, in the possession of Mr Alexander, lapidary in Edinburgh, I have examined some hundred specimens.”
Plate 10 from the paper “On the effects of compression and dilatation in altering the polarising structure of doubly refracting crystals”, by David Brewster, originally published in Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, volume 8 (1818) pp.281-286. Inscribed with figure numbers and bottom right ‘W.H.Lizars Sculpt. Edinr..’
Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) Scottish physicist was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815.
Plate 10 from the paper “On the effects of compression and dilatation in altering the polarising structure of doubly refracting crystals”, by David Brewster, originally published in Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, volume 8 (1818) pp.281-286. Inscribed with figure numbers and bottom right ‘W.H.Lizars Sculpt. Edinr..’
Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) Scottish physicist was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815.
Associated place