000-190-000-809-C © National Museums Scotland |
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Microscope (detail)
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 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.
Record details
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Online ID: |
000-190-000-809-C |
Image Rights Holder: |
National Museums Scotland |
Project: |
0098: 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
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Material: |
Turned wood body; white vellum covered paste-board draw-tubes; brass tripod on wood base
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Dimensions: |
14.00" min H
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What: |
Microscope, compound
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Subject: |
Jewellery: clocks, watches (NMAS Classification) 22. PHYSICS, Microscopes (Science and Technology Classification)
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Who: |
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Where: |
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Event: |
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Description: |
Compound microscope, tripod type, English, first quarter 18th century
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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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