CARLO PONTI (1823-1893) Lot n° 74

Megalethoscope en ivoire Venise, vers Unique, teak with ivory inlay, H 140 cm, L 110 cm W 66 cm, with 36 views, including some painted for night effect With this viewer, a well-to-do Italian family could see colored photographs before the invention of color film. This example is the celebrated one from Naylor's collection: «For the past 55 years what has captivated collector Thurman (Jack) Naylor about photography is just about everything. He has amassed a private collection that has extended from the pre-photography days of Chinese mirrors and the earliest daguerreotypes to a miniature digital camera used today as a spy device... A few steps up to the main living room there resides one of Naylor's favorite "gems." Called a "Megaletoscopio" and patented in 1859 by the Venetian photographer and inventor Carlo Ponti, this unique and exquisite teak and inlaid ivory camera produced the illusion of a color photograph. Peering through a lens at the front, an 11x14 wet plate photograph, handpainted in color on its reverse side, miraculously becomes a richly colored photograph. This dramatically inlaid Megaletoscopio happens to be the only one in the world. Ponti manufactured a limited number of these devices made of plain or carved wood. This is the only one made on special order from a wealthy Naples family, in such a high style. By peering through the lens at the front, the viewer sees the transformation of an 11x14" black and white Ponti wet plate photograph change into its richly colored equivalent. There is an oil lantern (today, an electric light) behind the photo. The Megaletoscopio, which sits atop a marble base, is made of ebonized teak and every square inch is covered with inlaid ivory designs. The storage cabinet of this instrument (1862), which is also made of matching teak and inlaid ivory, contains 30 Ponti photographs A recent visit to Naylor museum stirred both nostalgia and a touch of sadness since Naylor has decided to put what may be the world's largest