Semi-conical anamorphosis mirrors

The mirrors were acquired by Simone Stratico between 1777 and  1798, or by Pietro Zuliani between 1798 and 1804. They were described for the first time by Salvatore Dal Negro in 1807 as “Two conical golden metal sections in a box without lid, can serve as conico-convex or conico-concave mirrors” (Dal Negro, 1807).

Date: 2nd half 18th century

Description

The two copper half-cones, kept in their original box, are gold-plated both inside and outside, and they could thus be used both as concave and convex mirrors. No anamorphosis drawing corresponding to this kind of mirror has survived in the collection of the Museum of the History of Physics.


Materials and techniques: golden copper/wood/cloth

Dimensions: height 5 cm, width 23 cm, depth 20 cm (box)

Related scholars:

Simone Stratico (n.1733 - m.1824). Professor of Experimental physics at the University of Padua between 1777 al 1798 / Pietro Zuliani (n.1739 - m.1804). Professor of Experimental physics at the University of Padua between 1798 al 1804 / Salvatore Dal Negro (b.1768 - d.1839). Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Padua  from 1806 to 1839.

Keywords: optics, pre-cinema

University of Padua, Museum of the History of Physics

Cat. Number: 312

Bibliography

  • Salvatore Dal Negro, Inventario delle macchine, stromenti, ed altri effetti esistenti nel Regio Gabinetto di Fisica Sperimentale, diretto dal Sig. Professore Ab. Salvatore Dal Negro, formato l'anno 1807 [Università di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "Galileo Galilei"]