Accession No

0652

Brief Description

reflecting microscope, made by Giovanni Battista Amici, Italian, circa 1820

Origin

Italy; Modena

Maker

Amici, Giovanni Battista

Class

microscopes

Earliest Date

1820

Latest Date

1820

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, steel); wood; glass; ivory

Dimensions

microscope length 385mm; breadth 155mm; height 293mm accessories in bag length 125 mm; breadth 70 mm; thickness 25 mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased from T.H. Court in 11/1930 from the Crisp Collection. According to the Crisp sale catalogue, Crisp bought this instrument from Prof. Goltarelli officina Galilao of Florence, who had it direct from Amici’s heirs.

Inscription

‘Amici
Modena’

Description Notes

Brass; wooden box with pull out drawer; holes for brass plaque on which the instrument was mounted; (new base with plaque has been made since the box is badly damaged).
Pillar with square section; large concave mirror on shoe fits onto pillar with knurled screw to rack on pillar for focussing; push fit glazed cover for mirror; mounted in arc with knurled knob for changing position; stage focussed by rack and knurled screw.
Body tube with steel pin fits into head of pillar with clamp; aperture in body with glazed brass sliding cover to diagonal mirror, reflector and screw fit eyepiece with field lens in brass cell and eye lens ditto; push fit cover.
Tweezers; 4 extra eyepieces, one with serial No ‘528’ one ‘526’; spare reflector with knurled screw; 1 ‘rhomboidal prism’ marked ‘532’; 4 object ivory slide; stage clips.

References

Boris Jardine; 'Amici microscopes and Thomas Romney Robinson'; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2006: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/microscopes/amici-microscopes-and-thomas-romney-robinson

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