On view at the Getty Center from September 10, 2024 through February 2, 2025, this exhibition highlights this object’s cultural and historical context and reveals its technical complexity. It is one of only ten existing microscopes of this type in the world and Getty is the only museum in the United States with one in its collection.
Made in Paris around 1751, the microscope features advanced micrometers for precision measurement, and specialized accessories for viewing many types of specimens. It is nearly identical to the one used by the French king Louis XV. Aristocrats and amateur scientists used this microscope to explore the mysteries of the natural world, illustrating the social élite's interest in scientific inquiry.
“It is remarkable that this microscope is still in perfect working order,” says Arlen Heginbotham, conservator of decorative arts conservation at the Getty Museum. “The quality of the optics is truly impressive, and the gears and dials still function smoothly and precisely.”
The Getty microscope will be on display alongside its lavish leather case containing lenses, tools, and specimen slides of natural curiosities. The exhibition highlights the scientific and social context of this instrument through a selection of illustrated scientific publications from the period, drawn from the collections of the Getty Research Institute. Robert Hooke’s famous Micrographia will be on view, a publication that features illustrations of specimens that he explored with the compound microscope. Video and digital presentations will demonstrate the fully functional microscope’s uses and capabilities and allow visitors to view period illustrations of microscopic specimens.
“It is incredible to think about how this microscope opened up a whole new cosmos heretofore invisible to the naked eye,” says Miriam Schefzyk, associate curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the Getty Museum.
While the microscope is a complex scientific instrument, it is also a unique work of art in the Rococo style. A dominant style in France from the 1730s through the 1750s, it was applied to all artworks, including decorative arts, gardens, interiors, and even scientific instruments. Inspired by nature, its major characteristics are C and S curves, asymmetrical composition, and dynamic movement.
The exhibition will also feature several prints with designs that include these distinct Rococo motifs, as well as a wall clock made by Jacques Caffieri, highlighting the similarity of its elaborate design in gilt bronze.
Magnified Wonders: An 18th-Century Microscope is co-curated by Miriam Schefzyk, associate curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the Getty Museum, and Arlen Heginbotham, conservator of decorative arts conservation at the Getty Museum.
This exhibition is part of PST ART, a Getty initiative presenting over 70 exhibitions at institutions across Southern California tied to the theme Art & Science Collide. PST ART is presented by Getty. Lead partners are Bank of America, Alicia Miñana & Rob Lovelace, Getty Patron Program. The principal partner is Simons Foundation. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit: pst.art