Chest Microscope with Accessories, Dutch, Late 18th Century

The stand is fixed in the base of the box by a boss. Above this two pillars rise from a compass joint. One pillar is threaded to move the stage for focusing. The other pillar is marked with the positions for the objectives. At the top of the stand is an arm with a tapered socket to take the body tube, which has three double convex lenses and a blackened eyecup. The sprung stage has two wings, each with a pinhole. Below the stage is a post that supports three swivelling aperture plates of blackened copper alloy. Below this is the Plano-concave mirror in a horseshoe mount. The accessories comprise seven objectives, a frog plate with a silk cover, stage forceps on copper alloy pin, a shaped copper alloy rod, a four-aperture copper alloy specimen carrier, the metal casing of a wet cell, a small clamp with screw and a silver key for the case. The box is mahogany with dovetail joints and metal fittings. Part of the interior is lined with dark green velvet.