Portable telescope

The papier-mâché barrel of this non-achromatic telescope is decorated with coloured floral motifs. The fittings are made of horn and include screw-on caps for both ends. Stop lines on the three draw tubes indicate the telescope's optimum working length. The telescope may be Italian, since the decoration is similar to that on a telescope made in Venice, although there are also similarities to papier-mâché items produced in Russia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Object Details

ID: NAV1617
Collection: Astronomical and navigational instruments
Type: Portable telescope
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: circa 1750
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Length: 331 mm (closed, with caps); 888 mm (open to stop lines); Diameter: 38 mm (barrel), 43 mm (max.)
Parts: Portable telescope