The large air pump with inclined cylinder by Jacob Leupold of Leipzig (1709) numbers among the treasures of the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (MPS) in Dresden. Purchased by August the Strong of Saxony, it has survived fairly intact over three centuries, though much of its accompanying apparatus has been lost. The pump and its use are documented in several of Leupold's treatises, in the original inventory of the MPS (1730-32), and in experiments performed by Christian Wolff.

As part of its re-conceptualization, the MPS has commissioned a detailed replica of the pump and a reconstruction of some of its lost apparatus for use in public demonstrations within the museum. This paper documents a few of the many challenges encountered during the analysis and replication of the pump as well as in the resurrection of some of the (not always danger-free) experiments once performed with it. It highlights certain discrepancies found between the material instrument and the written sources and also identifies some modifications made to Leupold’s original design. Finally, it offers a glimpse at the lessons learned during the first public demonstrations with the replicated instrument.

This presentation is based on work co-authored by Andreas Holfert.