Two silver plates measuring 6 x 2.5 cm, some screws and a glass lens, but its value is still 160 thousand euros. An unknown buyer was willing to purchase a microscope that Christie’s auction house attributed to Anthony van Leeuwenhoek.

The Delft textile merchant is called the “Father of Microbiology” because in the 17th century he discovered a previously unknown microcosm using his homemade tools. He saw bacteria, blood cells, sperm, coffee beans and ovaries for the first time in unprecedented detail.

During his long life (1632-1723), he made hundreds of microscopes, including gifts for Britain’s Queen Mary and Tsar Peter the Great. However, due to their small size, most of them have been lost. Only a dozen copies are known to exist, most of which are in museums.

“Because of their strange appearance, almost all of them have been lost,” says Timin Koket, curator of the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, which has four copies. “Eight years ago another one appeared in the dollhouse collection.”

Coquet was one of the researchers who tried to determine the authenticity of this sample. Its provenance is unclear: the anonymous seller cannot remember how his family acquired the instrument. Therefore there is no 100% certainty whether this copy is indeed a copy of Van Leeuwenhoek.

“We don’t know for sure,” Coquette admits. “The tools are very difficult to study because of their simplicity, so a really confirmed attribution is very complicated. But it certainly seems that way.” However, since it is now a highly sought-after piece, it cannot be completely ruled out that it is a fake.

For example, critics point out that this version is more enlarged (285 times) than the most powerful version to date (266). The screw also looks a little different from the known ones.

Coquette can explain these small deviations. “This guy has been doing microscopy for 50 years, so he’s made hundreds of instruments.” Van Leeuwenhoek may have modified his method over the years. Due to the paucity of comparison material, this is no longer possible to determine.

Perhaps the uncertain origin made buyers a bit more cautious, as the quantity did not reach the expected minimum price of 170,000 euros. Coquit himself didn’t feel the need to bid: “I’ve already had the privilege of playing with it for a long time.”