Microscope

Add to album

This compound microscope was made in England around 1700. It is unsigned.

The instrument has a nose piece for fine focus. The body is made of wood with a vellum-covered outer draw stained with orange and green mottling and gold-impressed tooled motives. The whole is on a brass tripod mounted on a wooden base.

The vellum-covered tubes are stamped with gold tooling, a contemporary book-binding decoration characteristic of London optical instruments of this period. One of the motifs on this instrument also appears on the binding of a book published in London after 1661.

Record details

To search on related items, click any underlined text below.

• Online ID: 000-190-002-294-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:
  • Nuttall, R. H., 'A Marshall Microscope in the Royal Museum of Scotland' in Microscopy 35 (1987) pp 499-509 
• Translations:
• Related Records: