This is a VERY cool Theodolite made by Guillaume Meuris of Brussels Circa 1685. Meuris was believed to have made instruments from 1683 to 1690, which is why I call it a Circa 1685 Theodolite.

Some refer to this instrument as a Military Theodolite or Circumferentor. Many Theodolites made between 1600 and 1750 (what I call Second Generation Theodolites) had a 360 degree divided scale on the outside of the full circle and one or more scales on the inner part of the full circle. These inner scales were often used to measure vertical heights (with the instrument hung vertically by a ring). Occasionally you see an inner scale labeled "Poligons". Theodolites with a Polygons scale were Military Theodolites - used for laying out the exterior walls of a fort. Not surprisingly, there was a real science behind how to layout a fort to maximize the survivability of the fort's walls and defenders, and surveyors had a big role to play. For a better understanding, here is a 1639 Book on the architecture of forts (you can do a word search for "Poligon" to pull up the principles pertinent to a Theodolite with a Polygon scale).

I didn't find very much info about Meuris on the internet. What is generally stated is this: Meuris was born in Rome and moved to Brussels at some point. He made instruments from 1683 to 1690 as stated above. The Louvre has a Meuris drafting set, and that set is the only pic showing Meuris instruments that I found on the internet. I gather that institutions hold a handful of other Meuris instruments - with the Oxford Museum holding a Military Circumferentor (Theodolite) made by Meuris. Unfortunately I couldn't find any pics related to the Meuris Circumferentor.

Meuris signed his name in different ways on this instruments. Sometimes it was his full name, and sometimes it was just his initials. My Meuris Theodolite seems to be a combination go both.

The Meuris Theodolite is a great looking instrument. The Theodolite has tremendous eye-pop however when sitting in the bottom part of the box. When I first opened the box my reaction was "WOW". This instrument is PERFECT for display - both in terms of eye appeal and the story you can tell about Military Fort surveying.

Please take a look at my 360 Degree View of the Meuris Theodolite (immediately below). You can Zoom in on any angle, so you can really see just how special this Theodolite is.

If you are interested in learning more about Theodolites made from 1500 to 1800, please see my Theodolites (1500 to 1800) Webpage. The Meuris is what I call a Second Generation Theodolite, so go directly to that page if you want to learn more about Theodolites made at roughly the same time as the Meuris Theodolite.