Set of drawing, measuring, and calculating instruments. Europe, 19th–20th centuries.

Set of drawing, measuring, and calculating instruments. Europe, 19th–20th centuries.
Wood, brass, metal, and synthetic materials.
Includes a NESTLER slide rule, Germany, model no. 0123, with its original case.
Condition: signs of use, wear, patina, and some missing parts consistent with its professional use and age.
Measurements: 5.5 x 38 cm (largest piece).

A collection of instruments related to technical drawing, measurement, and calculation, likely assembled over several decades and representative of the evolution of the tools used by engineers, architects, surveyors, and draftsmen between the 19th and 20th centuries.
The lot includes a large wooden set square, a graduated folding ruler, a vernier caliper, a brass protractor, a graduated metal ruler, and a dark wooden parallel ruler with brass joints—an instrument designed for drawing and transferring parallel lines on plans and maps.
The set is completed by a Nestler pocket slide rule, model no. 0123, preserved in its original leather case. Manufactured by the prestigious German firm Albert Nestler of Lahr, it follows the Rietz system and allowed for the rapid performance of mathematical operations using logarithmic scales. Its four-digit reference number places it after 1955, making it the most modern item in the collection.

The coexistence of traditional mechanical measuring and drafting instruments alongside a scientific slide rule vividly illustrates the transformation of technical work: from the wooden and brass tools used during the 19th century to the sophisticated analog calculation instruments that accompanied engineers and scientists for much of the 20th century, before the advent of electronic calculators.