The telescope was one of the central instruments of what has been called the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century. It revealed hitherto unsuspected phenomena in the heavens and had a profound influence on the controversy between followers of the traditional geocentric astronomy and cosmology and those who favored the heliocentric system of Copernicus.It was the first extension of one of man's senses, and demonstrated that ordinary observers could see things that the great Aristotle had not dreamed of.It therefore helped shift authority in the observation of nature from men to instruments.The telescope was unveiled in the Netherlands. In October 1608, the States General the national government in The Hague discussed the patent applications first of Hans Lipperhey of Middelburg, and then of Jacob Metius of Alkmaar, on a device for "seeing faraway things as though nearby". The gentlemen found the device too easy to copy to award the patent, but voted a small award to Metius and employed Lipperhey to make several binocular versions, for which he was paid handsomely. It appears that another citizen of Middelburg, Sacharias Janssen, had a telescope at about the same time but he tried to sell it at the Frankfurt Fair.The news of this new invention spread rapidly through Europe, and the device itself quickly followed. By April 1609 three-powered spyglasses could be bought in spectacle-maker's shops on the Pont Neuf in Paris, and four months later there were several in Italy. The same year Galileo constructed his first three-powered spyglass June or July 1609, presented an eight-powered instrument to the Venetian Senate in August, and turned a twenty-powered instrument to the heavens in October or November. With this instrument he observed the Moon, discovered four satellites of Jupiter, and resolved nebular patches into stars.He made the telescope the most famous scientific instrument of the time.The instrument slowly became an indispensable object for scientists and later of gentlemen with scientific inspirations. For them, including those in China, artists in Geneva, Paris and London produced some of the most lavishly decorated scientific instruments ever made. By the 19th century, the telescope had become so popular that objects such as the present lot were produced for pleasure and enjoyment.