Philippe Danfrie the elder (about 1532 – 1606) was a designer and maker of

mathematical instrument A mathematical instrument is a tool or device used in the study or practice of mathematics. In geometry, construction of various proofs was done using only a compass and straightedge; arguments in these proofs relied only on idealized properti ...

s in metal and paper, as well as a type-cutter, engraver, minter of coins and medals, publisher and author. Much is known about Danfrie's life and activities. He is probably best known as designer of the surveying instrument known as the

graphometer The graphometer, semicircle or semicircumferentor is a surveying instrument used for angle measurements. It consists of a semicircular wiktionary:Limb#Etymology 2, limb divided into 180 degrees and sometimes subdivided into minutes. The limb is s ...

. Danfrie was born in Cornouaille in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. Danfrie went to Paris in the 1550s and set up as an engraver of letter punches. He produced a number of books in partnership with Richard Breton in 1558–60 and later with Pierre Haman and Jean Le Royer. He also made mathematical instruments, globes and astrolabes and dies for marking bookbindings. In 1571 he cut his first dies for jetons. As Engraver-General of the French coinage from 1582, he provided the puncheons from which the dies used in every mint in France were taken. He also produced a number of medals (e.g. London,

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

) commemorating the events of the first fifteen years of Henry IV's reign. Engraver and superintendent of the Paris Mint, Philippe Danfrie was also an engineer and inventor of scientific instruments. Active in the second half of the sixteenth century, he built globes, astrolabes, and clocks. He invented a typeface that he used in his published writings. These include: ''Declaration de l'usage du Graphometre...'', printed in Paris in 1597 together with ''Traicte de l'usage du Trigometre, avec le quel on peut facilement mesurer sans subiection d'Arithmetique''. Danfrie died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. His son Philippe Danfrie the younger (b. ?Paris, ; d. Paris, 1604) was appointed Controller-General of effigies in 1591. On his appointment it was claimed that he had demonstrated great skill in modelling portraits in wax and engraving puncheons. His most famous and only signed medal (e.g. London, BM) is cast rather than struck and celebrates the victory of Henry IV over the

Duke of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

in 1600.

References

*A. J. Turner, "Paper, Print, and Mathematics: Philippe Danfrie and the Making of Mathematical Instruments in late 16th century Paris", in C. Blondel, et al. (eds.), Studies in the History of Scientific Instruments (London and Paris, 1989), pp. 22–42. *''Traicté de l'usage du Trigometre'' (Paris, 1597)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Danfrie, Philippe 1530s births 1606 deaths 16th-century French engravers 16th-century French scientists French scientific instrument makers People from the Province of Brittany