Add to albumThis 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 motifs 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.
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- Online ID: 000-190-000-809-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)
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- 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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