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EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions

The collections of the Museo dell’Occhiale in Pieve di Cadore

FABIANO Editore

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FABIANO Editore

EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions


EYEGLASSES AND SURROUNDINGS

Extraordinary stories of revolutionary inventions


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 1970’s-early 1980’s 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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The Authors and Publisher disclaim

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Graphics and printing:

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Layout:

Nadia Mirialdo

ISBN 978-88-89629-93-2

Printed: December 2011

Museo dell’Occhiale – 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 collector’s 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

1920’s-1930’s

1940’s-1950’s

1960’s-1970’s

1980’s-1990’s

afterword

Some reflections around the Eyewear Museum

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Summary

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Preface

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 1800’s 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

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Introduction

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 museum’s contents. First of all, let’s say that I’m 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, it’s 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 manner. They can be a display of vanity or represent a sense

of dignity. Eyeglasses are always elements that stand between ourselves and others, thus

rendering them an intimate and personal, yet social phenomenon. The educational function

of the eyewear museum must therefore be recognized as one of its most relevant features.

Michelangelo Pistoletto

p a r t o n eThe MuseumThe Past. The Present. And, above all, the Future.

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

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

A building of glass and steel, counterpart to the old wood and stone

home dwelling of painter Tiziano Vecellio (1480/1490-1576) and to the

bitter-sweet landscape of the Dolomites, which reflect iridescent and

mutable on its surface. The Eyewear Museum, with its shining modernity,

challenges the memory of these places, imposing its sophisticated high-

tech architecture like a natural bridge between the past, present and

future. Inside, a combination of materials evoke traditional craftsmanship

and bold colours define the bright space. Where the compelling story is

told of one of the most important industries in the world, born right here

in these geographically difficult areas which were, however, particularly

rich in water sources, precious in generating the energy that initially

fed the machines. The only national eyewear museum to be bound by

the Superintendence for Historical, Artistic and Ethno-Anthropological

Heritage, it was inaugurated in 1990 in Tai di Cadore, to then be transferred

in 2007 to its new home at the Palazzo Cosmo building in Pieve di Cadore.

The museum was set up here by, among others, architect Alessandro

Mendini, not new to major museum projects carried out all over the

world. The leitmotif of the museum is naturally sight and all the symbolism

that belongs to the simple, instinctive act of looking and not just seeing.

Over 4,000 pieces from the 15th century to present day are exhibited in

rotation along a path that winds through the two floors of the museum.

The exhibits include eyeglasses, books, prints and ancient documents,

telescopes, binoculars, optical instruments, pieces of art, votive offerings

and much, more, recreating the grandeur of a complex, transverse world,

whose evolution is closely tied not only to technological and industrial but

also cultural progress. One curious piece of interest: one of the rooms,

seem from above, incorporates the structure of the optical sections of a

corrective lens.

The Museum

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The Pas t . The P re sen t . And , above a l l , the Fu tu re .

The black and white photos here are especially poignant. Evidence of a

past that seems so very long ago. Women and men working intently on

foot pedal welding machines, bare factories, intense looks and snippets

of life made of sacrifice, but also the satisfaction of becoming part of

history. The collection is enriched with new pieces every year, following

the natural evolution of a museum and of the sector, of which Cadore in

particular in Italy in general have always been the beating heart. An industry

that has never stopped growing, thanks to the support of ANFAO (The

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The Museum

Italian Association of Optical Goods Manufacturers), created in 1954 and

which, since 1970, has organised Mido (International Optics, Optometry

and Ophthalmology Exhibition), a trade fair which still today retains its

international leadership in the field. The Eyewear Museum, creating

synergies and collaborations with other museums, remains a living place

which continues to dialogue with its surrounding territory, involving it in a

lively and vibrant cultural debate that has lasted for many centuries.

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The Pas t . The P re sen t . And , above a l l , the Fu tu re .

On this and the preceding page: some historical images from the 1940’s and 1950’s of the Cadore eyeglass and eyeglass case factories.

On the next page: a group of young Cadore women travelling to work by bicycle, 1954.

cap i to lo

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The h i s to ry o f a museum i s the h i s to ry o f i t s co l l e c t ions . And o f a woman

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The Museum

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

The history of a collection is almost always a story of passion. Like that of

Madame Alfred Heymann, a lady who lived between the late 1800’s and early

1900’s and belonged to the Parisian upper class. Perhaps also portrayed by

Klimt, in 1911 she wrote a book “Lunettes et lorgnettes de jadis”, a limited

edition with only 300 copies published by Parisian editor J. Leroy et Cie.

Already, though, in 1900, part of her extraordinary collection of spectacles,

Lorgnette eyeglasses, monocles, fans, theatre bifocals, telescopes and other

types appeared in the book “Les lorgnettes” by Jean Robiquet, curator of the

Musée Carnavalet of Paris, created for the important Universal Exhibition of

Paris of that same year. Journeying along the mysterious roads of destiny,

and probably also through the hands of a Spanish collector, some pieces

of that legendary collection, which many fabled over time as it suddenly

dissolved into thin air in 1925, were divided up between various collectors

and museums, with some also arriving at the Eyewear Museum in Pieve

di Cadore. It was most likely the famous Belgian optician Georges Bodart

who purchased them. His collection of about 1,600 pieces was later sold

to the Museum in 1987 and represents the core and starting point of this

wonderful adventure. It was, once again, passion which defined the history

of yet another important collection: that of Enrico De Lotto, physician and

scholar who, after having curated an exposition on the history of eyewear

in 1956 (year in which he also wrote the book “From Nero’s Emerald to the

Cadore Glasses”), revived again in 1959, expressed his dream of creating a

national eyewear museum. A dream made possible after years thanks to

the perseverance and initiative of Vittorio Tabacchi. In reality, all museums

are all an amalgam of many collections, donations, purchases sometimes

made following an emotional instinct, other times by establishing a precise

historical path. The Eyewear Museum does not escape this same logic

and, over time, a “layering” of pieces of various origins has happened,

including those of Eastern eyewear collections of antiquarian Luca Moioli,

or of Parisian optician Jean Bernard Weiss, acquired in the 90’s. Last, in

chronological order, those donated in 2001 by Giuseppe Del Favero Calalzo

di Cadore, which covers a wide range of time, focusing its attention on

Italian and foreign iconic pieces from the 1900’s and the collection of Ottica

Giacobbi received in 2009. The Eyewear Museum has always maintained a

strong bond not only with companies but has also become the symbol

of an important tradition, which chose as its home the region of Veneto

and, in particular, Cadore. Representing memories, but also the future.

And the past, but also the present.

The title page of the book “Lunettes et lorgnettes de jadis”

by Madame Alfred Heymann, published in 1911 by Parisian publishing house J. Leroy

et Cie in limited edition of 300 copies.

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The Museum

On the previous page: an image taken from the book “Lunettes et lorgnettes de jadis” where some rare items that

belonged to Madame Alfred Heymann were illustrated.

On this page: two pieces probably from the Madame Alfred Heymann collection, now exhibited at the Eyewear Museum.

From the top: a precious shor t telescope in car ved ivory (France, approximately 1720) and a necessity kit in

enamelled brass, silver, mother of pear l and gold (England, ear ly 19th century).

p a r t t w o

The origins of eyewear

From the bridge to the side arms. From Ugo di Provenza to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour


Philosophy, science and religion. Beyond the visible

Queen Margherita and the first factory in Cadore

Intriguing messages and valuable gifts

Travelling toward modernity

26

From the bridge to the s ide arms. From Ugo di Provenza to Camil lo Benso, Count of Cavour

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From the bridge to the side arms.From Ugo di Provenza to Camillo Benso, count of Cavour

In 1300, a special entry prohibiting the counterfeiting of crystal and

lenses, at the time called “roidi da ogli” (discs for the eyes) and which

differed from magnifying glasses once called “lapides ad legendum”,

was added to the “Glassware” part of the Venetian “Capitolari delle Arti

Veneziane” arts publication, published in 1284.

The competition, at a time when nothing existed and therefore everything

was yet to be discovered and invented, was relentless and perhaps unfair.

In the 13th century, glass production was transferred to the island of

Murano under the pretext of being able to better control the safety level

of an activity that made use mainly of fire, and therefore considered

potentially dangerous if worked too close to residential areas. This is the

official explanation. In actuality, although there were not then the same

sophisticated means of communication that we have today, news spread

rapidly, also because mythical figures were beginning to take shape. Part

merchants, part explorers and travellers, like Marco Polo who, following

the Silk Route and the flourishing family business in 1271, arrived in China

only to return to Italy 17 years later. Personalities who could therefore easily

reveal their findings, nullifying years and years of research, experiments

and suffering.

Protecting such an extraordinary invention was therefore an almost moral

obligation for a city that was already so advanced in terms of business,

like the city of Venice in the 13th and 14th centuries. Naturally, the study

of optical phenomena had already begun long ago and far away. Lenses

and eyeglasses were only the culmination of a meeting of civilizations and

scholars that were geographically and culturally poles apart from each

other, who consulted the writings of others.

The origins of eyewear

Clockwise from the top:detail of iron swivel head eyeglasses, Italy, late 16th and ear ly 17th century;

folding eyeglasses in tor toiseshell and silver with their case in galuchat, silver and wood, France, late 16th century, ear ly 17th century;

rare arched leather eyeglasses, Germany, built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries.

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From the top: another version of swivel head horn eyeglasses, France, late 16th century; arched whalebone model, a par ticular ly flexible material, Germany, mid-17th century.

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The o r ig ins o f eyewear

Among the first were the Persian Avicenna (980-1037) and the Egyptian

Alhazen (965-1038), often accused of resorting to alchemy, an accusation

that had nothing to do with the validity of their findings but rather with

the prejudices of the time against those who from different cultures and

religions. In fact, the first magnifying glass lenses in rock and beryllium

crystal that circulated in the convents of religious orders were based

on studies of optics of Alhazen. The clause of the “Capitolari” confirms,

though, that optical lenses and, consequentially, eyeglasses, were actually

born in Italy at the end of the 13th century, probably favoured by the

Venetian mastery of glass-making. The last workshop in Venice in the

district of Sam Trovaso was then closed in 1796.

Another confirmation on the power of this invention comes to us from

the first pictorial representations of personalities with eyeglasses, like

Ugo di Provenza who, in the fresco by Tommaso da Modena in 1352,

wears a swivel head model, that only an obsequious and posthumous

representation of a cardinal could remain as such: suspended on his nose,

without being held up by a hand, while he is quietly writing. In the same

series of paintings, cardinal Nicolò di Rouen consults a sacred text using

a magnifying glass, this represented also for the first time in a painting.

Instead, San Gerolamo, considered protector of the spectacle, portrayed in

1480 in his studio portrait by Ghirlandaio (1449-1494) in the fresco found

From the top: swivel head silver eyeglasses complete with trefoil case in wood and

paper, France, approximately 1750; folding eyeglass case in brass and mother

of pear l, delicately engraved with floral patterns, France, 18th century.

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From the top: a precious specimen of arched eyeglasses called Nuremberg glasses, from the name of their original city, made in tor toiseshell and characterised by elaborate trefoil on the bridge, Germany, late 17th century; the bridge, called the “five blades” characterises this horn model, giving it a good degree of flexibility, England, ear ly 18th century.

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From the top: arched copper eyeglasses with violet lenses, Germany, late 17th-ear ly 18th century.

The circles have doubled at the height of the nose with silk thread; silver glasses with double arched bridge,

France, late 18th century.

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On this page: arched horn eyeglasses characterised by a curious compensator and by a system of tapes to fasten it to the ears, Japan, 18th century.

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in the Church of Ognissanti in Florence, is captured in the act of writing,

while a pair of rivet eyeglasses, probably made of iron, hang unused at his

desk, stripped of their function as if they were only a symbol of his spiritual

power and knowledge. Swivel head, rivet and bow specs were the first to

appear on the scene, in the second half of the 13th century, and remained

important pieces until the 18th century. In almost 500 years, different

types of materials were used, from leather to iron, whalebone to wood,

in the (vain) hope of making them more flexible, robust and stable on

the nose, as well as more comfortable. There was also room for aesthetic

digressions in this almost Darwinian evolution, as for example with the

famous Nuremberg spectacles, named for their origins. The work on

these seems like fragile, complex lace, vaguely resembling oriental glasses’

decoration, where the practice of style focused on elaborate perforated

bridge models made mainly in tortoiseshell, jade and precious stones and

embellished with a curious “compensator” in an attempt to stabilise them

on the nose. Many have insinuated over the years that it was the Chinese

to invent glasses, but this was refuted by original writings of early Italian

missionaries, which confirmed that it was instead these religious orders

to introduce glasses working and, above all, glass lenses that gradually

At the top: arched tor toiseshell model with side cords, Italy, late

16th-ear ly 17th century.

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From the left: folding arched horn and brass eyeglasses, complete with case in car ved wood with Oriental scenes and symbols, China, 18th century; a valuable trefoil case in car ved ivory worked per day, France, 18th century.

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replaced with those of rock crystal and quartz. An important contribution

to the habits and customs of the East in terms of glasses came to us in

the form of the “Mangwa,” or the delicate drawings by Japanese artist and

poet Hokusai (1760-1849), published in 15 volumes (some posthumously)

from 1814-1878 and produced in three colours: black, grey and pale pink,

a detailed “visual” history of those times and those latitudes. The dates

regarding the inventions of corrective lenses instead provide important

information about the uses and areas that influenced the need for the

creation of spectacles: presbyopic lenses are in fact from 1280, myopic

lenses from 1480 and bifocals in the 18th century. This latter invention has

been attributed to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), scientist and politician,

considered one of the founding fathers of the United States. In a portrait

from 1767 by Scottish painter David Martin (1737-1797), preserved in the

White House, he appears with a pair of metal eyeglasses with small rounded

circles, similar to those which Camillo Benso, the Count di Cavour, was

portrayed with in the 1800’s.


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From the top: trefoil box car ved in boxwood, Italy, 17th century; case-pack in pine wood, covered with a woodcut which holds the name of the optician, the emblem of the city of Nuremberg and the emblem of the guild of opticians, Germany, mid-18th century.

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A unique Roman Breviar y which houses a pair of arched silver eyeglasses inside its cover, Venice, 1794.

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Po in t s o f v i ew and suppor t

From the left: rare wig or silver cap eyeglasses with papier-mâché and red Morocco case, France, 18th century;temple tor toiseshell eyeglasses, called as such because the side arms stop on the temples with large ring terminals, England, 18th century.

39



In the story “Candide ou l’Optimisme” (translation “Candide” in English) by

Voltaire (1694-1778) from 1759, Pangloss declares “... noses were made to

wear spectacles.” From the outset it was clear, however, that the nose itself

was not enough to support the weight of the materials in which the frames

were made, to which the enormous weight of the lenses was then added.

But when philosopher Pangloss pronounced this truism, the invention of

spectacle side arms had already been made, having passed first through

other extreme solutions such as ties, ribbons or cords to be fixed behind

the head or ears. Before coming to this final solution, an inexplicably long

time passed before the side arms appeared in the 18th century. These were

invented in 1727 by English optician Edward Scarlett, but were preceded

by hat or wig eyeglasses, whose novelty existed in their having a circle of

the same material eyeglasses (silver or iron) that, starting from the bridge,

encircled the head hiding under hats or hairpieces. Taking into account

the customs and fashions of those times that required the use of wigs,

the first side arms stopped at the temple on the temple spectacles, once

again giving space to various stylistic interpretations influenced also by the

materials. These were often precious gold and silver and given that, initially,

the use of eyeglasses was only reserved to the wealthy and educated

class and probably restricted only to men, they were a perfect mirror

of the society of the time which excluded women from many activities.

Obviously these solutions, in addition to not solving the balance problem,

also generated many headaches. And it was precisely from this search for

comfort that, soon after, the final definition of eyeglasses with extendible,

folding, and spiral tip side arms with terminals of various styles came to be.

Even the bridge underwent several transformations: K, C or X forms, while

rather small circles kept their almost oval or otherwise rounded shape.

There is no large structural difference between eyeglasses and sunglasses

except that, in some models, the lenses are double-hinged on the side

arms, creating a side protection, like with the Richardson type model with

circles in the shape of a horseshoe, while with the Goldoni-type eyeglasses

40


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in the mid-1700’s, the partitions were made of silk, the same material that

visors applied to other, original models. Incidentally, the first coloured

lenses appeared in Venice in the 15th century, but here we still cannot

speak of protective sunglasses. In fact, initially, the colour often indicated

the social level of the person wearing the eyeglasses. Even the eyeglass

cases provided specific information about their owners and sometimes

their geographical origins, thanks to the writing, inscriptions, initials,

names, dates, punches and even the small pictures carvings or engravings

that represented religious or allegorical figures.

Over time, the case shapes have adapted almost physiologically to that of

the spectacles themselves, chasing an ideal of beauty and practicality: from

trefoil cases for bow specs to minimal sized containers with rich decorations

for folding eyeglasses, from the cylindrical forms for flat eyeglasses, to

structured models like boxes with covers and latch lock cases.

In some cases, other objects acted as cases, like breviaries that housed

eyeglasses in a niche “hollowed out” among their pages. The “technical”

detail was another important element. This sometimes allowed the cases to

be hung or pinned on belts, bands or waistcoats, thus helping define the

styles and fashions of yesteryear. The materials they were made with were

not always obvious choices, either. These were sometimes very valuable:

ivory, tortoiseshell, hand-painted papier-mâché with decals, embroidered

silk, galuchat leather, quality wood and naturally precious metals, filigree

and precious stones. Some are real masterpieces created by artisans and

jewellers, so extraordinary that one can often forget their original function,

such as with the “à la châtelaine” or oriental models, rich in symbolic

elements. The passage of this production from artisanal to industrial took

place between the 1700’s and 1800’s when the first nearby eyeglass case

factories opened.

From the top of the previous page: another example of temple tor toiseshell eyeglasses,

with double terminals internally in leather to loosen side end pressure on temples, England,

approximately 1785; temple eyeglasses in silver with prominent terminals, Italy,

late 18th-ear ly 19th century; optical frames characterised by double circles in silver

and tor toiseshell with an X-shaped bridge, folding side arms and small diameter lenses

to reduce lateral aberrations according to prescriptions by English optician Benjamin

Mar tin, England, late 18th century.

On this page: frames in brass with decorated bridge and folding side arms, China,

approximately 1880.

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Clockwise from the top: model in horn, called “Goldoni”, par ticular ly in vogue in Venice in the 1700’s. Characterised by coloured lenses, dividing side arms and lateral protections in silk; papier-mâché case from the mid-19th century, made with the decal technique and then painted by hand; protective eyeglasses in tor toiseshell with lateral sun protection screens in silk and ar ticulated side arms, Italy, ear ly 19th centur y.

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From the top: model from the 19th century with X-shaped bridge and very thin ar ticulated side arms; rectangular latch lock silver case decorated with delicate incisions, English, mid-19th century; silver eyeglasses with slightly coloured lenses, X-shaped bridge and extensible side arms, Italy, 19th century.