Musschenbroek hand microscope, Netherlands, 1671-1700

Musschenbroek hand microscope, Dutch, late 17th century

The mark of an oriental lamp and crossed keys at the base of the microscope shows that this item was made by Johann Musschenbroek, a famous scientific instrument maker from the Netherlands. This low-power microscope was designed to help dissection. A lens is mounted at the base of the eye cup and an object pin is attached to an adjustable arm which can be moved by three ball and socket joints. These joints are called Musschenbroek nuts after their maker. The Musschenbroek family were renowned for their instruments. This example has been partly reconstructed and is lacking the eye piece and lens. The lens could be changed to vary the optical magnifying power of the microscope.