Device for cleaning spectacles
karta katalogowa kolekcji
Rzemiosło artystyczne
France (?)
2nd half of 19th century
Full grain leather; chamois; steel; woollen half cross-stitch
2.4 x 3.1 x 4.2 cm
Wil.5906
Spectacles have been used at least since the end of the twelfth century and appeared the earliest in Italy. First mention of eye-glasses comes from the second half of the thirteenth century. The sources, however, say nothing about the ways of cleaning spectacles and it is difficult to find examples of the equipment used for this purpose.
The presented exhibit is a nineteenth-century ornamental predecessor of the present-day chamois or microfiber cloth. The steel construction, echoing the shape of a case for folding spectacles (the oldest preserved example is the case belonging to shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, 1436–1490), is covered with brown full grain leather. Inside, there are round chamois pillows for cleaning the spectacles. The upper part of the construction features unexpectedly well-preserved embroidered decoration, despite the intensity with which the device had been used.
Małgorzata Zając
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