Age: 1740–1770
Made by: Unknown
Made in: possibly Holland

Field microscope set made of Silver, No 268

This is a hand-held simple magnifier made of silver with a Lignum vitae base and top piece, and a fish skin covered cardboard central cylinder. The magnifying lens is mounted in a wooden holder and held in place with a brass retaining ring. This magnifying lens is permanently mounted to the silver base. This base has three split pegs onto which the three accessory tools are placed during storage. The middle peg pivots and rotates to allow the forceps or pointer to be positioned such that the sample is clearly in view through the magnifier. The lieberkuhn can be used to illuminate a sample, however in place of a magnifying lens there is only plane glass, so this is not an imaging lens. All three accessories can be mounted on their pegs and folded into the cardboard and ebony case for storage. Imaging is quite good, with the magnification being approximately 25–30x.

The instrument is unsigned, but probably is of Dutch origin. There is a sticker in the top piece that suggests this instrument was displayed at the 1936 Exposition of the Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Assembled it is 14cm tall.

Featured 10/2013

Exposition 1936; Museé des Arts Decoratifs, Paris.
Imaging