Cleveland Museum of Art

Microscope

Date

c. 1745– 1765

Medium

gilt bronze mounts

Culture

France, mid-18th century

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Composed of elaborate gold-plated parts, this microscope is not just a decorative work of art; it is also a functional tool for scientific inquiry. Its ornamentation reflects the intermingling of art and science during the European Enlightenment, an era when scholars emphasized the study of science and reason as a means of social and intellectual progress. The two lenses of a compound microscope allow for better focus and magnification, making it easier for scientists—amateur and professional alike—to look closer at a specimen to see more than can be seen by the naked eye. This microscope’s ornate decoration suggests it was probably owned by a wealthy person, possibly an amateur scientist. A version of an 18th-century English poem playfully describes what can be newly seen with a microscope: Great fleas have little fleas Upon their backs to bite ’em The little fleas have lesser fleas And so ad infinitum. Microscopes, especially ones as elaborate as this example, were luxurious symbols of enlightened aristocratic sophistication in the 1700s.

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