Microscope ca. 1750 Optical elements by Claude-Siméon Passemant Qualifying both as a work of art and as a scientific instrument, this microscope exemplifies beautifully the broad interests of mid-eighteenth century amateurs who dabbled in the sciences to explore the mysteries of the natural world. This compound microscope contains three convex lenses in its inner cylinder, which fits into a wooden tube covered with green shagreen, an animal or fish skin, in this case from the tropical stingray Dasyatis (or Trygon) sephen. The three white pearls” visible on the shaft of the microscope originally marked the center of the ray’s back and hide. Polished and often tinted green, the attractive granular surface of ray- and sharkskin was fashionable in mid-eighteenth century France for the decoration of small cases, snuffboxes, and other luxurious objects.In order to use the instrument, the ornamental gilt-bronze finial must be unscrewed, thus giving access to the eyepiece and allowing the own