Mike Cowham wrote: > "I am trying to tie up details of Lefebvre who was an instrument maker > in Paris in the 1700s. (A portable 'Butterfield' dial by him (was) in > the (last) Christie's sale.) On his instruments he normally engraves > his name with a V, but I believe that it would today be a U making > Lefebure, which is simpler to pronounce. > What I really want to know is this. Is he the same man as Lefèvre (Jean > or Étiene-Jean) who is mentioned in 'Scientific Instruments of the 17th > & 18th Century and their Makers' by Maurice Daumas? I note that Daumas > makes no mention of Lefebure or Lefebvre."
Happy New Year to all, Lefebvre appears to be the same person as the Jean Lefévre mentioned by Daumas. He is mentioned several times in J.-J. le François de Lalande, Bibliographie Astronomique, avec l'Histoire de l'Astronomie depuis 1781 jusqu'à 1802 (Imprimerie de la Republique, Paris, 1803), pp. 288, 312-314, 321, 338 & 341-345, where you can find some interesting facts not mentioned in Daumas. Before he made name as an instrument maker he was responsible for the annual publication of the Connaissance des Temps (CdT), the French equivalent of the Nautical Almanac, from 1685 to 1701. According to Lalande, Lefebvre was a weaver from Lisieux who was gifted in performing astronomical calculations. In 1682 Philippe de la Hire persuaded Lefebvre give up the weaving business and to move to Paris and to assist him with his astronomical observations and calculations. The 1689 volume of the CdT also contains an article by Lefebvre on constructing various types of sundials. Lalande also gives full details of the events of 1701 when Lefebvre's quarrel with De la Hire induced him to quit his work for the CdT and to completely devote himself to instrument making. ======================================================== * Robert H. van Gent * Tel/Fax: 00-31-30-2720269 * * Zaagmolenkade 50 * * * 3515 AE Utrecht * E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * The Netherlands * * ******************************************************** * Homepage: http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/homepage.htm * ========================================================
