Description

A very good Ross monocular polarising microscope with 90% of it’s compliments and lacquer.

Possibly the earliest extant example of this type of microscope in museum or private collections. Numbered on the rear of the claw foot A.ROSS, London, No. 524, this pre-RMS monocular has accessories seldomly seen in such a compact format. I have seen later examples of this microscope in cases 20 inches tall but this one fits into a double door mahogany case measuring just 13 x 11 x 9 inches with brass inset handle to the top and original locks and key.

Bar limb construction, square, fully mechanical rotateable stage and round substage, large 3 inch double sided mirror, rack and pinion coarse focus for the body tube and  substage. Fine focus to the rear of the body tube and knurled nut for disassembly. Ross produced this model for over 20 years and when his son took over the business the No. 1 model grew in mass and size (20 inches). This example is only 17 1/2 inches tall.

Accessories include:

4 objectives (  1 , 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 inch) latter being dated and signed 1852 and 1854 respectively

2 eyepieces (A and B)

Bench condenser, stage forceps, canister of stops, signed objective Lieberkuhn, eyepiece and substage polariser, frog plate, substage iris with blue glass, substage wheels of stops, stage selenite holder, substage condenser, and a rare signed Gillett’s illuminator/condenser. All signed accessories in the Georgian style i.e. A. Rofs

The monocular body tube packs into the base of the case and shows wear to the lacquer from rubbing between the keepers. The lacquer on the rest of the microscope is near perfect.  Mechanically smooth and optically very good, this microscope had to have been a special order item and very early in the Ross production shop (model first introduced in 1843). No other polarising numbers in this decade.

The mahogany case is in good condition noting a bottom panel replacement at some time. The microscope mounts to a three position sliding mahogany plinth with wooden retaining clips. This microscope will be shipped in two boxes, one for the case and accessories, the other for the disassembled microscope (to ensure safe delivery).

I have assertained what is missing from the box and I believe these to be easily replaced, although I have no spares. Items such as live boxes, compressorium, stage bullseye, dark stops, hand forceps, etc. should be attainable with patience.