Antique English Compound Microscope. Complete. England, Circa 1900

Stunning antique English compound microscope, complete and in museum condition. This fine instrument comes from England, where it was made circa 1900. The amazing condition showed off by the whole set is extremely remarkable: though being more than one hundred years old, the microscope is almost new and stands out for its beautiful functional design. It comes in its original solid-mahogany wooden case which contains a set of three lenses and two eyepieces, a freestanding magnifying glass and a box with ancient samples. All the accessories are greatly preserved, making up a high-quality set which will dazzle any collector. The microscopes design combines black-enameled iron component parts with brass pieces. They all make up a fine contrast, quite typical of turn-of-the-century scientific instruments. The black color prevails over the brass parts, but these provide the item with a light and shiny touch. The foot is a sturdy four-legged base which supports the brass turret, inserted into a hollow black-iron cylinder. The adjusting and focusing screws are made of brass and work perfectly, with soft and fluid movements. All the accessories are made of brass and remain in equally good condition. The whole set can be stored in the beautiful mahogany case which stands out for its lovely golden-reddish color and greatly-preserved original satin finish. The case preserves the original lock and key set in excellent working order. Truly original from the period and with an outstanding beauty, this antique English compound microscope, complete and in museum condition, will stand out as part of the best collection Original de época y de gran belleza, este antiguo microscopio compuesto inglés, completo y en estado de museo, destacará en la mejor colección Measurements: Width: 5.6 in / 14 cm. Height: 12.4 in / 31 cm.Compound Microscopes Characteristics and History Compound microscopes differ from simple microscopes in that they mount more than one lens. By combining the lenses, these instruments enable more lens magnifications. The lens combination can magnify the size of the objects 2000 times, compared to the maximum of 250 times provided by a simple lens. Curiously enough, compound microscopes were invented before simple microscopes. This was because in those times it was not possible to create high-magnification lenses, so it was necessary to combine two or more lenses in order to get the needed magnification. The first compound microscope was developed around 1600 by two Dutch lens manufacturers, Zacharias and Hans Janssen.