Microscope (detail)

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This is a detail of the barrel of a compound microscope. The instrument was made in England around 1700 and is unsigned.

The detail shows the stained orange and green mottling and gold-impressed tooled motives on the vellum-covered outer draw of the microscope. Such motives are typical for the period.

In 1966, a study of the motifs on 70 English instruments showed that the same book-binding tools were used to decorate instruments signed by different makers. However, the motifs fell into three stylistic - and therefore possibly dating - groups.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-002-617-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.NL 37
• Date: 1st 1/4 18th century
  Around 1700
  
• Material: Turned wood body; white vellum covered paste-board draw-tubes; brass tripod on wood base
  Microscope, compound
  
• Dimensions: 14.00" min H
  
• What: Microscope, compound
  
• Subject: Jewellery: clocks, watches (NMAS Classification)
  22. PHYSICS, Microscopes (Science and Technology Classification)
  
• Who:
• Where:
• Event:
• Description: Compound microscope, tripod type, English, first quarter 18th century
  
• References:
  • Turner, G. L'E., 'Decorative Tooling on 17th and 18th Century Microscopes and Telescopes' in Physis: Revista internazionale di storis della scienza 8 (1966), pp 99-128; republished in Essays on the History of the Microscope. Oxford: 1980, pp 79-108 
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