Culpepper Compound Microscope in case

The Culpepper company was one of the greatest producers of early microscopes. The first compound microscope was created in the early seventeenth century, and this example is in the traditional style of the pre-1740 microscope, with a central cylinder covered in shagreen, or shark skin. It has a base of lignum vitae wood, and a two-tier brass tripod which supports a cardboard and lignum main body. The shagreen-covered cylinder has a lignum cap.