EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions

The collections of the Museo dellOcchiale in Pieve di Cadore

FABIANO Editore

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FABIANO Editore

EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions

The collections of the Museo dellOcchiale in Pieve di Cadore

EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS

Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions

The collections of the Museo dellOcchiale in Pieve di Cadore

text byAlessandra Albarello

introduction byMichelangelo Pistoletto

with editorial contribution byLaura Zandonella, curator of the Pieve di Cadore Museum

FABIANO Editore

on the coverfrom the top: Pendants called Lunettes Breloques which Les Incroyables wore pinned to their waistcoat;Emilio Pucci sunglass model from the late 1970s-early 1980s with clear, colourful plastic tinted frame;arched copper eyeglasses with violet lenses, Germany, late 17th-early 18th century;detail of a Chinese glasses case fromapproximately 1880.

Text

Alessandra Albarello

Photos

Baggiofotostudio, Pieve di Cadore (BL)

Eyewear Museum Archives

ANFAO and MIDO Archives

Contributors:

Laura Zandonella and Ivana Canaider

Copyright 2011

Fabiano Editore

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e-mail: editore@fabianoeditore.it

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The Authors and Publisher disclaim

any responsibility for errors in this text.

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Total or partial reproduction is forbidden.

Graphics and printing:

Fabiano Group Srl

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Layout:

Nadia Mirialdo

ISBN 978-88-89629-93-2

Printed: December 2011

Museo dellOcchiale Pieve di Cadore

President

Vittorio Tabacchi

Curator

Laura Zandonella

Executive Committee

Vittorio Tabacchi, President

Primo Barbon

Luigino Boito

Francesco Gili

Renato Sopracolle

Preface

by Vittorio Tabacchi

Introduction

by Michelangelo Pistoletto

part one The Museum

The Past. The Present. And, above all, the Future

The history of a museum is the history of its collections. And of a woman

part two The origins of eyewear

From the bridge to the side arms.

From Ugo di Provenza to Camillo Benso, count of Cavour

Points of view and support

Philosophy, science and religion. Beyond the visible

Queen Margherita and the first factory in Cadore

Intriguing messages and valuable gifts

Travelling toward modernity

part three Wunderkammer - The collectors room

The art of seeing (and not seeing)

When a glance becomes an Objet de vertu (Object of Virtue)

An eye for an eye: symbolism and representation

part four The 20th century and contemporary eyeglasses

1920s-1930s

1940s-1950s

1960s-1970s

1980s-1990s

afterword

Some reflections around the Eyewear Museum

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Summary

7Preface

My relationship with the Museum began even before its creation, and was born from the

passion I have always had for collecting, and especially from my strong sense of belonging to

the area. This area, Cadore, has become the main stage of an exemplary story of Made in

Italy production, since back when the first Italian eyewear manufacturer was inaugurated in

Calalzo di Cadore in 1878. The Eyewear Museum, part of a context so sensitive to the culture

of this object, has since become the undisputed symbol of an industry that has been able to

transform tradition in creative energy, drawing from the past to place itself within the new

contemporary dynamics of an international market. From that first company which, at the end

of the 1800s was even visited by Queen Margherita of Savoy, many more companies were cre-

ated in the area. Companies which, thanks to their know-how, have been able to successfully

establish the Made in Italy concept with pride all over the world, even interpreting the labels

and most prestigious international fashion and design brands. More protected compared to

Venice, but still included in the historic fabric that made the lagoon city unique, Cadore has sin-

ce become the perfect stage to represent one of the greatest inventions in history: eyeglasses.

A logical consequence of a glass-making culture, whose roots in this area go back to the 13th

century, as evidenced by the ancient Venetian Capitolari delle Arti Veneziane arts publication,

dated 1284. Even if eyeglasses are the absolute protagonists of the museum, there are other

objects that represent the meaning and symbolism of vision. The evolution of eyewear and

everything related to vision has no boundaries. These have always tried to find their sources of

inspiration in other areas, from design to art, fashion to music, thus prompting the contours

of a varied, lively and complex cultural stage, of which they are the real stars. With more than

four thousand pieces presented in rotating exhibits, the Eyewear Museum has, over time, from

the fifteenth century to present day, become a point of reference and documentation, espe-

cially important for those who are interested in the history of fashion and costume. But it has

also become the symbol of the whole Italian eyewear industry which was born and continues

to grow here, making its voice heard worldwide and thus favouring its international vocation.

Vittorio Tabacchi

9Introduction

I first came to the Pieve di Cadore eyewear Museum in 2003 for the exhibition of my works

entitled the eye is the mirror, which was prepared within the museum itself and was dedi-

cated to the 125th anniversary of the Belluno eyewear district. I was thrilled to stroll down

those halls full of precious objects, which sparkled and shone as they led me through the

rich and fascinating history of eyewear. While observing my Reflective paintings exhibited

there, I could sense the close relationship between their meaning and that which is inherent

to every detail of the museums contents. First of all, lets say that Im a visual artist, a term

which replaces that of painter when the artistic instruments come to include more modern

technologies, such as photography, video or even lasers. My primary instrument is the mirror:

a tool which infinitely expands the sphere of the imagination, but also confines it to the point

that it focuses directly upon the eye when brought as close as possible to the mirror itself.

In an objective and practical sense, its the phenomenology of vision that becomes a compo-

nent of art, while maintaining the concept of representation intact. But leaving the image of

the eye aside, with scientific logic it is possible to follow a path that penetrates into the eyeball

all the way to the brain and to encounter a phenomenon similar to that which is described

above. The optical photoreceptors translate light into electric fluxes that reach the brain and

project the images into it, as is the case with a mirror: the eye, therefore, is the tool that makes

the mind reflect. This establishes an endless reflective loop: the eye is the mirror of the objects

and the mind reflects, or rather thinks of the objects, producing actions that reflect the will

of the mind itself. By placing a lens between the eye and the world, we can artificially correct

the natural defects of vision. By placing lenses upon lenses, we increasingly distance ourselves

from the sphere of that which is visible. Telescopes transport us into the cosmos, while micros-

copes lead us into the microcosm. We are in the eyewear museum, and we can take pathways

that are both spatial as well as temporal. We run back and forth from ancient history to the

present day, following the optical vehicles on display; we take in the news from yesterday as

well as that of today; we observe the dressings that surrounded and adorned the lenses in the

old days and compare them with the whirlwind of images reflected in modern lenses. But it is

the frames themselves that embody these delicate transparencies, that help us to recognize

the styles and fashions, that allow us to appreciate the creativity and imagination of such true

talents, that make us feel the emotion and the surprise of discovering the incredible ingenuity

expressed by so many of these objects. The science of eyeglasses is one that inspires the

imagination to the point that, in many cases, it leads to true poetry in terms of the shapes,

lines and colours. It is said that the eye is the mirror of the soul. I would add that eyeglasses

themselves give soul to the eyes, bringing them to life by adding expression to the face.

Eyeglasses are like the soul in that they can generate profound emotions, such as shame or

enthusiasm. Eyeglasses can be something behind which to hide or can otherwise be flaunted

in a provocative and aggressive