Maker: Mur, Christian & Sterr, Johann

Year: 1710 c.

Year Range: -

Year Notes:

Manufacturing Location: Freising, Germany

Signature: MR

Signature Notes:

Inscriptions:

No stand present.

Collection: National Maritime Museum

Accession #: NAV1546

Sources:

Royal Museums Greenwich. "Hand-he;d telescope". http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/43758.html [Accessed: June 2016].

Silvio Bedini, "The tube of long vision: the physical characteristics of the early 17th-century telescope," Physis 13 (Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 1971), pp. 186-9. See also "The earliest known dated optical instrument in the world . . ." The Illustrated London News, May 12, 1931, p. 772.

Public Notes:

Tube and five draws of cardboard covered w/ decorated paper. Outer tube and ends protected by vellum. Body of outer tube stamped in blind tooling w/ tight-pointed star and "M.R." monogram within two palm branches. "AO. 1645-6 M.R." inscribed in ink on second and third draws. Body diameter 2 inches. Lens housing of turned wood.

2016 Updated Museum Description:
"The barrel and five draw tubes of this non-achromatic telescope are made of paper. These allow the telescope to open to a length of about 2m. The other fittings are of turned wood. The initials M.R. and a star motif are stamped on the barrel. These probably refer to Christian Mur and Johann Sterr, optical instrument makers from Freising, since the same motifs appear on other instruments known to have been made by them. There is also a handwritten inscription on the second and third draw tubes: 'Ao. 1645-6 M.R.' This was previously thought to be the date of the telescope" (Royal Museums Greenwich).

Provenance:

Believed to be instrument made for and owned by Schyrlaeus de Rheita. From the Gabb Collection.

Length (open): 2000

Length (closed): 582

F-ratio:

Exit pupil:

Object status:

Objective type: singlet

Optical style astronomical

Physical style

Functional style

Materials: paper, glass, wood, pasteboard

Drawtube data:

Drawtube notes:

Diameter: 50 mm (barrel)

Objective Data

Eyepieces

Notes: