This beautiful brass microscope was made by Léon Jaubert, in Paris, around the middle of the nineteenth century. The illustration below has been redrawn from photographs of the original microscope, which is featured in Gerard Turner's excellent book Collecting Microscopes, a volume in Christie's International Collectors Series of books on antiques.

The microscope is supported by a horseshoe-shaped solid brass foot. Two pillars rise from the foot and meet at a swivel joint that connects to the stylish limb of the microscope. Tension at the swivel joint is controlled by several knurled brass knobs. The microscope body is solid brass and is moved into and out of focus through a rackwork mechanism connected to the limb. A single eyepiece and objective magnify the specimen, which rests on a blackened circular stage with a pair of clips. An elaborate adjustable arm with swivel joints holds the substage double mirror, which can be easily adjusted to provide illumination from a variety of positions. Overall, this microscope is one of the most stylish designs of the period.

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