George III ebony and brass parallel ruler
George III ebony and brass parallel ruler
7379
A George III ebony and brass draftsman's parallel ruler with ornate brass hinges, circa 1790.
Parallel rulers are precision drafting instruments once essential to navigation, cartography, and architectural drawing. Consisting of two straightedges linked by hinged arms, they allow lines to be transferred accurately across a page while remaining parallel.
Eighteenth and nineteenth-century examples were often crafted from brass, ebony, or mahogany, combining durability with refined workmanship. Mariners used them to plot courses on nautical charts, while engineers relied on them for technical plans.
Today, antique parallel rulers are valued by collectors for their mechanical ingenuity, tactile quality, and connection to a pre-digital era of careful, hands-on measurement and traditional craftsmanship and design.
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