Modern microscopy identifies Dutch master’s £175k handiwork
21 Dec 2023
A microscope discovered by chance in a house clearance has been authenticated as the work of ‘the father of microbiology’, the 17th century scientist Antony van Leeuwenhoek.
The small silver instrument, which is more than 300 years old, sold this month at Christie’s for £175,000.
It was identified as a Leeuwenhoek by Professor Brian J Ford, who has previously authenticated two others made by the Dutchman.
The investigation was carried out at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, with the support of Professor Richard Langford and the technical advice of Chief Microscopist Eric Tapley. Ford employs a Hitachi S-3400N scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the method of manufacture which characterises the ancient microscopes.
“Scrutinising an antique microscope under its modern-day counterpart is a unique experience,” said Ford.
“Identification of these antique objects is customarily made by individuals, based largely on personal opinion. I have now developed a protocol that provides objective data on which to base a conclusion.”
The scientist compares newly identified instruments with the characteristics of known Leeuwenhoek microscopes; for example, manufacture of the screw threads by hand was a difficult and demanding task but Ford used the SEM to identify the techniques Leeuwenhoek used in the newly found artefact.
“The use of an SEM at very low magnifications is immensely revealing. You may need over 100 frames of each microscope, all of them tending to vary in tone, magnification, contrast and proportionality, so this is not a job for the faint-hearted or the tyro.
"But it does finally provide objectivity in authentication, and that has never existed before,” commented Ford, who believes his technique has broad applications in the study of historic scientific instruments.
A former draper, who turned to lens making, Leeuwenhoek embarked on his studies of microbial life relatively late, in 1674 when in his early 40s. He went on to identify microbes, sperm cells and bacteria using small, single lensed microscopes.
When he died, aged 90 in 1723, he left a legacy of some 250 hand-made microscopes. While most have been lost, said Ford, Leeuwenhoek had used them to record a “vast array” of microscopical revelations.
The newly-found microscope was discovered in a house clearance in East Anglia. Coincidentally, the region had strong connections with the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th century, with Dutch engineers playing a role in draining the Fenlands around the Wash.
Pic: Professor Ford with the newly discovered Leeuwenhoek microscope dating from c.1680. Its single lens is sufficient to resolve micro-organisms and even bacteria
