Antoine Lipkens (*1782;†1847)

Antoine (Antoon) Lipkens was a Dutch engineer, inventor and the first director of the Royal Academy in Delft, that would later become the Delft University of Technology. An extensive biography is given in English [3], and in Dutch at the Biography Portal of the Netherlands. 

Fig. 1 and 2. Reflecting dividers (Dutch: spiegelpasser; French: compas à miroirs) invented by Antoine Lipkens in 1811 [6], used by a topographer for measuring and drawing angles and first described in Gisius Nanning; Handleiding tot de Werkdadige Meetkunst, Vol. 2, 1829, p. 200-204. No maker's marks on the dividers or on the case. There is a spiegelpasser at the Utrecht University Museum, known to have been purchased in 1843 from Amsterdam instrument-maker Eduard Wenckebach [10]. Another spiegelpasser is in the Geodetic Collection of the Delft University of Technology. 

Fig. 2 and 3. Early optical square (French: équerre à miroirs, équerre à réflexion, équerre de Luxembourg; Dutch: spiegelkruis) invented by Lipkens in about 1811. Horloger-Opticien François-Maximilien Lion in Luxembourg is known to have made early examples of this instrument [8]. At the National Exhibition in Bruxelles in 1830, Lion exhibited an équerre à miroirs along with a ruling pen and a scale ruler [8]. The Lipkens optical square continued to be produced until the end of the 19th c. [12].  Other inventions by Lipkens include a polar-coordinator 'rapporteur à roulette' [13], a submarine [14] and a signaling telegraph [15].

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NOTES / REFERENCES

[1] SCHNEITLER, Carl F.; Die Instrumente und Werkzeuge der höheren und niederen Meßkunst, 2nd edition, Leipzig 1852, p. 71-74. 

[2] BRUINIER, Willem Frederik (*14-09-1826 Antwerp;†22-04-1912 Zutphen); Lipkens's équerre à miroirs gewijzigd, Alkmaar 1862.  

[3] Lipken's Obituary: Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers (Great Britain), Volume 7, 1848, p. 10-11. 

[4] Bulletin des sciences mathématiques, physiques et chimiques, Volume 1, 1824, p. 326-327.

[5] Bulletin General et Universel des Annonces et de Nouvelles Scientifiques, Tome 2, 1823, p. 574-575.

[6] NOLTHENIUS, A. Tutein: Antoine Lipkens, Tijdschrift voor Kadaster en Landmeetkunde, 01/01/1950; p. 84/310. 

[7] POULS, H.C.; De spiegelpasser van Lipkens en de kleine spiegelsextant van Laporte, Geodesia, 01/05/1985; p. 17/44.

[8] Lion, François-Maximilien (*28-12-1797 Abbeville, France;†21-11-1878 Luxembourg) became a naturalised citizen of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1848. National Exhibition in Bruxelles in 1830: Catalogue des Produits de l'Industrie Nationale, p. 144.   

[9] BAUDET, H.; De lange weg naar de Technische Universiteit Delft, Oegstgeest 1992, p. 142-149.

[10] Eduard Wenckebach (*1813;†1874): ROOSEBOOM, Dr. Maria; Bijdrage tot de Geschiedenis der Instrumentmakerskunst in de Noorderlijke Nederlanden tot omstreeks 1840, Leiden 1950, p. 129-130.

[11] W. J. Kempers. Verhandeling over het spiegelkruis: uitgedacht door Lipkens. H. Koster, Delft 1845. Google Books.

[12] REISS 1886 catalogue, p.60. Internet Archive.

[13] Bulletin de la Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale > 1823. 22e année. N. 223-234, p.148-150. Gallica.

[14] Lipkens submarine: Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Collectie 310 Uhlenbeck, nummer toegang 2.21.165, inventarisnummer 36. 

[15] Lipkens telegraph:Rijksmuseum: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/NG-MC-823, Lipkens' telegraph signal-house: Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Nummer archiefinventaris: 2.13.13.20.