Museo Galileo
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Virtual Museum
Section of Room IX
 Perfecting the Telescope

The Medicean collections document the history of the telescope's early evolution, starting from Galileo's immediate successors, such as Ippolito Francini (1593-1653), Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) and Jacopo Mariani (17th century), up to the instrument makers specialized in producing optical apparatus. Eustachio Divini (1610-1685) and Giuseppe Campani (1635-1715) were among the first to build telescopes of impressive dimensions, not only for their own research but mainly for sale to wealthy individuals or astronomers seeking top-quality instruments for their new observatories.

Objects
Eyepiece lens

Eyepiece lens

Inv. 2584
Ippolito Francini or Evangelista Torricelli or Jacopo Mariani [attr.], Florence, 1640-1660

Eyepiece lens

Eyepiece lens

Inv. 2585
Ippolito Francini or Evangelista Torricelli or Jacopo Mariani [attr.], Florence, 1640-1660

Eyepiece lens

Eyepiece lens

Inv. 2574
Eustachio Divini, Rome, 1666

Objective lens

Objective lens

Inv. 2632
Jacopo Mariani, Florence, 1660-1670

Objective lens

Objective lens

Inv. 2572
Evangelista Torricelli, 1643

Objective lens

Objective lens

Inv. 2571
Evangelista Torricelli, Florence, 1646

Octagonal telescope

Octagonal telescope

Inv. 2557
Eustachio Divini, Rome, 1674

Octagonal telescope

Octagonal telescope

Inv. 2553
Eustachio Divini, Rome, 1664

Telescope

Telescope

Inv. 3090
Maker unknown, Italian, first half 18th cent.

Telescope

Telescope

Inv. 3377
Maker unknown, 1650-1670

Telescope for Torricelli's lens

Telescope for Torricelli's lens

Inv. 2554
Evangelista Torricelli (Objective) / Tube: maker unknown, Objective: 1647 / Tube: second half 18th cent. (?)

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2560
Maker unknown, Italian, late 17th cent.

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2548
Jacques Tendre de Moulina, French?, first half 18th cent.

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2564
John Marshall [attr.], English, 1690-1720

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2558
Maker unknown, English, early 18th cent.

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2550
Giovanni Battista Magnelli, Italian, 1695

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2551
Giuseppe Campani, Rome, ca. 1664

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2552
Eustachio Divini, 1660-1670

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2562
Johann Wiesel [attr.], German, ca. 1650

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 3639
Paolo Belletti, Italian, 1689

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 3458
John Marshall [attr.], English, late 17th cent.

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 3493
Maker unknown, Italian, second half 17th cent.

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2561
John Marshall [attr.], English, 1690-1720

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 2556
Giuseppe Campani, Rome, 1666

Terrestrial telescope

Terrestrial telescope

Inv. 3185
Giuseppe Campani, Italian, 1665

Context
In depth