French Floral Porcelain Weather Thermometer

A wonderfully poetic antique French wall thermometer, its creamy porcelain face decorated with hand-painted garlands of coral, blue and green flowers, along with a small exotic bird resting near the base. The shaped plaque retains its original glass thermometer and metal housing, with pierced openings at the top and bottom for hanging.

Rather than displaying temperature alone, the face records the natural and domestic events traditionally associated with different degrees of warmth—from orange trees and silkworms to frozen rivers and historic Parisian cold. Similar French thermometers were produced with both Celsius and Réaumur-style references and often included these charming observations beside the scale.

The French inscriptions translate approximately as:

• Nlle Calédonie — New Caledonia
• Sénégal — Senegal
• Essaims d’abeilles — Swarms of bees
• Vers à soie — Silkworms
• Orangers — Orange trees
• Chaleur humaine — Human body heat
• Bains ordinaires — Ordinary bathing temperature
• Ch. des malades — Rooms for the sick
• Ch. des appartements — Interior or living rooms
• Tempéré — Temperate or mild
• Glace — Ice or freezing point
• Rivières gelées — Frozen rivers
• Froid à Paris — Cold in Paris

The dates 1830 and 1859 appear to mark notable historic cold temperatures rather than the date of manufacture. Earlier French decorative thermometers similarly incorporated recorded Paris temperature extremes alongside horticultural and household references.

Date: Likely late 19th to early 20th century
Origin: France
Material: Decorated porcelain or enamel plaque, glass thermometer and metal fittings
Condition: Antique condition with age-related discoloration, scattered surface marks, oxidation to the metal components and wear around the mounting holes. The glass tube appears intact in the photographs; accuracy and working condition have not been tested.

Dimensions: 2.75 x 9.75