Meurand-lenoir Graphometer, Circa 1770

One of the oldest surviving instruments from Etienne Lenoir's production? This two-telescope graphometer, typical of 18th-century French production, has the particularity of bearing two signatures: "Meurand in Paris" and "divided by Le noir". Antoine-Joseph Meurand (Meurand senior) was active in Paris from 1750 to 1780. Etienne Lenoir, a brilliant engineer, inventor of the Borda circle and first constructor of the new meter, arrived in Paris in 1772 and set up on his own account, certainly from 1775. This example is, on the one hand, a rare testimony to a documented and signed partnership between two Parisian manufacturers of scientific instruments in the 18th century and clearly a very early example of Etienne Lenoir's production, famous from the 1770s for his division method and his know-how. "France had at last found in Etienne Lenoir a craftsman capable of rivalling the best London makers, a craftsman capable not only of making very fine instruments for astronomy, navigation and topography, but also of being original in his designs. Born in 1744, he began to make a name for himself in the 1770s and received important official commissions in the 1780s. He was thus sufficiently well established to profit from the upheavals of the Revolution; among the many radical changes introduced was a completely reformed system of measurement, and measurement was Lenoir's business" (See Bennett, "Le Citoyen Lenoir. Scientific instrument making in revolutionary France, A special exhibition to mark the bicentenaire of the French revolution", 1989). The doubly signed example retains its two complete and working telescopes, its micrometer screws under the semi-circular plate, its large compass with its needle and ball-jointed foot. A particularly Lenoir-produced instrument, perhaps made before Lenoir had a large workshop for the manufacture of all the parts needed to fully design such a surveying instrument. 38.5cm long and about 24cm high without the wooden stand. Recent polishing.