Museo Galileo
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Compass known as Michelangelo's compass
    • Setting:
      Room VI
    • Maker:
      unknown
    • Place:
      Italian
    • Date:
      16th cent.
    • Materials:
      brass, steel; case: cardboard
    • Dimensions:
      length 300 mm
    • Inventory:
      1357
    • Compass known as Michelangelo's compass (Inv. 1357)

The compass is housed in a cylindrical cardboard case. There are the following steel accessories: two straight pointed rods for recording measurements (dividers), two curved rods for measuring diameters (spherical compass), tweezers, a pencil holder, a paper-cutter, and a small toothed wheel to perforate paper for pouncing. The accessories were attached to the molded brass legs by means of steel clamps. A note in the case stated that the instrument belonged to Michelangelo Buonarroti.