Spectacle cases

Throughout the ages, a persons’ case that held one’s spectacles was just as important as the eyeglasses themselves. They would instantly allow someone to tell what social status they held and a little bit about their personality. The Eyeseum has over 200 cases from over 40 countries, made of over 50 different materials, dating from the 1600s to the present. The oldest record of spectacle case manufacture is from a banner for the Vaginari, a case makers’ guild, in the year 1314. The spectacle cases are center left in the painting (circled in red). The oldest dated eyeglass case is from 1558. The oldest eyeglass case ever found was from an archeological dig in Freiburg, Germany in 1982 and dates to the 14th century approximately, but the date is really not known.

We start our tour of The Eyeseum spectacle case collection with an early 1600s hand-carved wooden case from Virginia representing the transformation of Pocahontas, from daughter of Chief Powhatan to her conversion to Christianity and her marriage to John Rolfe in 1614. Made to house a pair of “Nuremberg “ spectacles, this case was handed down from a Virginia family for generations. Cases like these are very rare, and usually only found in museums.

Hand carved Pilgrim case from New England, circa 1650. There is a similar case in Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Purchased from the estate of a collector of Pilgrim artifacts, it was also designed to hold a pair of Nuremberg spectacles from Germany. Most likely brought over from Europe when the Pilgrims came over.

**Hand-carved wooden Nuremberg spectacle case, more ornate, circa mid-late 1700s**

One of the rarest and most prized artifacts in the Eyeseum is this German prayer book, dated 1691, that housed a pair of Nuremberg spectacles in the back cover for the reader to use! An extraordinary spectacle case! **According to historical expert Dr. J. William Rosenthal, author of Spectacles and Other Visual Aids, there are fewer than a dozen of these worldwide, and most are in museums.**

Iron case, dated 1726, with engraved name F. Line, and Masonic square and compass emblem. Designed for sturdiness to protect a valuable investment of glasses, this case is notable in the fact that it is one of, if not the oldest, case designed to hold a pair of temple spectacles. According to a trade card from Edward Scarlett, the presumed inventor of temples, they were first manufactured around 1714. In addition, the Masons were founded around 1717, making this unassuming case a rare find in the history of spectacles.

Porcelain case from France, circa 1874, hand painted. Porecelain cases are very rare, and usually were owned by royalty or the French Bourgeoisie. This case was made by a French porcelain maker, who illegally used the crossed swords mark from Meissen.

**Here is another porcelain case, bearing the crest of Napoleon III in gold, from the mid 1800’s.**

**One more porcelain case, double sided, wonderfully hand painted, with gold embellishments, with hallmark. Unable to determine maker’s mark, but probable French or German, c. Mid -1800s**

**Sharkskin (also known as shagreen) case with brass medallion, silk tassels, and amber adornment, Ottoman empire, early to mid 1800s.**

French straw-work case, c. 1800. Made from colored straw, many of these cases were made by French prisoners-of-war held in England during the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815), as favors for their jailers. For more information click here: http://exploresaffronwaldenmuseum.blogspot.com/p/napoleonic-prisonerof-war-items-during.html

**Hand-made wooden case with iron lid, with name Evan Thomas, 1796 etched in the wood. Evan Thomas was a Yeoman in the British Army.**

**Hand painted miniature of a mountain scene on carved wood, Switzerland, c.1850. A one almost identical is found in another famous optical museum**.

**Mother-of-pearl and abalone inlaid on papier maché. Japanese, c.1850. Note the intricate detail.**

**Miꞌkmaq** Native American case made from birch bark and moose hair, with porcupine quill trim. This tribe was located in Maine and southeast part of Canada. Moose hair embroidery is very laborious, and these were made to be sold as items for tourists. This case is from the mid 1800s and shows some of the herbs used for healing. Similar cases reside in the **The Metropolitan Museum of Art**, **The Penn Museum, and the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine.**

**Here is another smaller one, from the same time period. The Mi’kmaq tribe and their weaving artistry were an integral part of the Anne of Green Gables novel** **by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1908. For more info on this craft, click here:** https://americannativearts.com/news/moose-hair-embroidery-c1700-1880s

**Exquisite Fedoskino case, hand painted over mother-of-pearl. Fedoskino is a Russian city known for its realistic paintings. This case, signed by the artist, is from around 1940. More info click here:**http://www.artrusse.ca/fedoskino_en.htm

**Carved ivory on carved wood, Germany, circa 1850. Some damage to two of the horses’ legs, but remarkable artwork by a skilled artisan. Museum quality.**

**Here are a couple of champlevé spectacle cases, the top one presumably Chinese, the bottom one most likely Russian.** **Champlevé is colred enamel melted into carved troughs.**

**Gilt sterling silver, Tiffany and Co., USA, hallmarked 1901**

**Chinese case of an Asian carp (koi) made from ox horn, c. 1900. The carp is a symbol of strength and perseverance, and good fortune.**

**Another case from ox horn, this one bearing the likeness of Shouxing, the Chinese God of longevity** **in Chinese mythology.**

**Beautiful hand painted, enameled case with ivory trim, Victorian era, presumably French**

**Persian brass case of what appear to be dragons, damascene style, c. 1895. Damascene is the inlaying of gold and silver onto a base metal**, **such as steel or brass**.

**Wood with inlaid bone scrimshaw, China, circa 1790**

French floral painted on porcelain with gold and silver embellishments, signed and dated Feb. 19, 1851. Has some period repairs to it. An almost identical one, but in green, is seen in the Zeiss optical museum in Jena.

**Sterling silver embossed Dutch case. Hallmarked, but difficult to read. Presumably mid 19th century**.

Mauchline ware, Scotland, late 1800s. Mauchlineware is the process of printing a landmark on sycamore wood and then varnishing it. All mauchline ware came from the city of Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland, and were designed to be souvenirs to wealthy tourists.

**Here are a few more Mauchline-ware cases of different varieties.**

Fernware case, also made in Mauchline, Ayrshire Scotland, around 1870. This was a very complicated process, that involved drying ferns and applying them on sycamore wood, then applying varnish in layers. Ferns were very common in Victorian era homes, because they grew well in the dark, dank homes of that era.

Tartanware, once again made at the same factory as Mauchlineware and Fernware, Scotland, c1820. Inscribed with clan name, Stuart. The Stuarts were direct descendents of Mary, Queen of Scots, who ruled from 1542-1567.

**Hand painted French papíer maché frogmouth case designed for wig spectacles, circa 1840.**

**Hand beaded Native American case, probably Sioux or Navajo, made for the American tourist trade, around 1870-1880**

**Petit point embroidery in ivory with silk surround, Asia, c. 1820**

**Japanese Edo period (circa 1850) lacquered case, with gold overlay.**

**Sterling silver wolves, USA, c.1890.**

**Silk screen on wood with jade pendant, China, early 1900s**

**Sterling silver case, dated 1854, made by famous British silversmith Nathaniel Mills.**

**Hand-painted nude on ivory, under glass on tortoiseshell with silver braided trim, France, c. 1810**

**Italian sorrento ware case. Sorrentoware is the art of marquetry where different colored woods are cut and assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. c. 1870**

**Here are 2 more examples of sorrentoware.**

**French sterling silver filigree case, c.1850. Filigree is the art of twisting fine strands of metal onto a base of the same metal. It is often called metallic lace.**

Here is another silver filigree case, this one with a cloisonné center of a crane. Cloissonné is French for compartment, and consists of little compartments filled with different colored enamel. This case is from around 1870.

**Here is another beautifully crafted cloisonné case , circa early to mid 1900s.**

**Tortoiseshell with applied gold inlay, Japan, c. mid-1800s**.

**Sterling silver repoussé, Gorham company, Connecticut, c.1896**

**Hand-painted on wood Balinese (Indonesian) case, c. 1900**

**Etched bronze with silk tassels, China, early 1900**

**Damascene case, Japan, c. mid 1900s**. **This one is gold and silver on steel.**

**Hand carved ivory, central cartouche of a crown and roses, Germany, 1870**

**Hand carved boxwood case of a dragon, China c**. **1800**

**Rare poker work case. Poker work is the process of burning the wood with a hot poker, then adding watercolor while blowing hot fumes on top of it. This is from England around 1860.**

**Early 19th century sterling silver case made in Persia.**

**Here are 3 Persian hand-painted papier-mâché lacquered cases, circa 1820-1850**

**Hand carved horn, China , late 1800s**

**Carved horn, Denmark, 1860. Scene of a stag hunt hand carved. This came with a place to put glasses as well as a notepad and pencil!**

**Reproduction of the portrait “The children of Sir Samuel Fludyer”, by Thomas Lawrence, silk on leather, c. 1820-1840**

**Fine petit point case with gilt embellishments, France, c1780. Petit point is a form of cross-stitching, but is much finer.**

**Pair of ”Speclette” glasses manufactured by Theodore Hamblin in London, with a stunning gilt silver beautifully embossed case, circa 1920.**

Mother-of-pearl with abalone trim, with plaque that reads “Presented to the Rev’d N. Brodie, by his bible class, as a token of esteem. Pollockshaws 18 Feb.1874”. The glasses that came with the case are also inscribed. Pollockshaws was a housing tenement in Scotland.

Silver niello case, Egypt, 1930. Niello is the process of mixing sulfur, silver, copper and lead and melting it onto etched metal.

**Wood pyrography (wood burning) case of Mr. Toad from Wind in the Willows, written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908**

**Embroidered silk with brass fittings and ceramic balls, China, early to mid 1800s. Burgundy on one side, violet on the other.**

Another hand painted miniature on mother of pearl and gilt leather spectacle case from France, ca. 1840. This scene shows the Paris stock market around 1820. The quality of this painting is extraordinary.

**Close up of painting. Note the intricate detail.**

**Another hand-painted miniature, of Russian** **architecture, from the same time period.**

Maki-e lacquer on wood case, Japan, early 1900s. Maki-e is a Japanese art form where a brush is used to paint lacquer over a surface which is then sprinkled with gold or silver dust. Maki-e literally translates to “sprinkled picture”.

**Hand made mosaic case of a rose, France, late 1900s**

**Chinese brass and copper case, immaculate and intricate, circa 1860**

**Nude portrait on leather, early to mid 1800s, Italian or French.**

Sterling silver case, engraved “Eliyah Kidson, Mine Agent, Bilston”. Bilston was a coal mining town in England, and Eliyah and his brother Charles owned the coal mine in 1896.

**Handmade Case made by Roald Kühn, a designer of eyeglass cases to royalty and presidents, including Kennedy. This case was made in 1950.**

**Sterling silver mesh “flapper” case, hallmarked, Whiting and Davis, USA, 1920**

**Case made from the horn of a water buffalo, Thailand, 1900**

**Hand carved faux tortoiseshell case of elephants from India, circa 1950**

**Tortoiseshell case, China, early 1800s.**

**Another tortoiseshell case, England, c.1860**

**Brass on bone, Tibetan, or AngloIndian, early 1900s. Note the hinges designed to look like owls.**

**Zardozi embroidery (Persian for ”gold sewing”), early 1800s, possibly Persian or Turkish**.

**Wood Parquetry case, England c1860.** **Parquetry is wood inlay in a geometric pattern, while marquetry is wood inlay done in figurative pattern (i.e. the outline of a man or horse**).

**Tin “coffin” case. USA, pre-civil war. These rare cases were designed to open up like a coffin lid.**

Bamboo case with bone and boxwood netsuke of bespectacled man filing his toenails, Japan, early 1900. A netsuke is a small charm attached to case to allow the user to carry it around held by the belt of his kimono.

**Gold embroidered with glass beads, Agra, India, 1927**

**Tunbridgeware frogmouth case, Scotland, c1840. Tunbridgeware, made in Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, is an intricate form of inlaid marquetry, using very small slivers of wood to form patterns**, **c.1840**

**Hand beaded intricate city scene, Belgium, Walford, 1940**

**This hammered sterling silver case, hallmarked from Chester, England, celebrates Christmas from 1917.**

**Hand painted Toleware (painted tin), left-Russia, center-France, right-Poland**

**Brass filigree with semi-precious stones and turquoise, late 1800s. A case almost identical to this is featured in the book Il Contenitore Prezioso, the Story of Cases for Glasses**.

**Scrimshaw on whalebone, (of a whale!), United States, c1880**

**Pietra duratop (cut stone placed in a decorative pattern), Czechoslovakia, late 1800s**

**Double-sided hand carved horn case**. This side is a Phoenix.

**Folk art on wood, presumably USA, 19th century**

**French hand painted on metal case for ”pince-nez” glasses, c. early 20th century.**

**Mother of pearl on wood, with sterling silver central cartouche, engraved with the name A. Gilruth, 1888. Mr. Gilruth was a German silversmith.**

**Very unusual and scarce pen work case. Penwork used quill pens on lacquered wood, and was popular from 1780 to 1830. This case is from around 1820.**

**Lithograph on wood with nephrite charm/netsuke. China, early 20th century.**

Hand painted silk on leather, c. 1820, of Les Charmes de la Vie (The Music Party)
Painted by Jean-Antione Watteau in 1718.

**Wooden case with printed portrait of Napoleon III, mid 19th century**.

**Beaded felt, with literally the smallest cameo I have ever seen!**

**Double sided, double gusseted case, c. 1860**

**Handmade seashells on papier maché case, C1880, possibly Bulgaria.**

**Leather Picasso ”Women of Algiers” eyeglass case, c.1960. This painting set a record for the highest priced painting sold at that time : $192 million!**

**Another hand painted case, also painted to look like tortoiseshell. This one from England, late 1800s**

**Hand carved case of an edelweiss flower, Black Forest of Germany, c. 1880-1890**

**Tin case, hand-painted, for pince-nez glasses, early 1900s**

**Silk eyeglass case of Jeane Jacques Henner’s St. Fabiola, lost to the world in 1912, c.1900**

**Wooden parquetry case, mahogany, England, circa 1860**.

**Raised leaf copper on silver, with initials CS on center cartouche, Germany, c.1820**

**Papier-mâché chinoiserie, USA, c. 1860s. Chinoiserie is the imitation of Chinese motifs in Western art.**

**Brass case, England(?), c. Late 1800s**

**Double sided case, one side depicting the United States Bank of Philadelphia, which was in operation from 1791 to 1811.**

Wooden case for foldable horn spectacles, China, late 18th century, early 19th century.

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