
Jon Baddeley
Specialist Consultant Collectors, Science & Marine
Sold for £19,000 inc. premium
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Provenance:
From the collection of Dr MacKinnon.
Edmund Culpeper (d.1737) established himself as a dominant figure in the instrument making profession in the early 18th century, although it remains uncertain whether he was the original inventor of the compound tripod microscope. He advertised an unparalleled variety of microscopes in 1710, and was located in Moorfields and later Cornhill. Culpeper's prominence in the early 18th century led to him becoming synonymous with the tripod model, or 'Culpeper-type' microscope. Despite taking over his master's shop in circa 1700, Culpeper did not become a freeman or take an apprentice until 1714. Following his death in 1737, the business was continued by his son.