Pre-1800 Dated Eyeglass Cases

A great deal of attention has been devoted to antique eyeglasses on this developing website. They are, of course, the most common vision aid, dating back to the late 13th century. But little is said and even less has been reported or published regarding eyeglass cases. Some of the earliest styles are seen in magnificent 15th and 16th century paintings. But the actual cases themselves are nearly non-existent since even the most advanced and comprehensive public and private collections have no examples at all. However, neat cases from the 17th century do occasionally appear, though they are still extremely scarce. Fortunately some of these early ones are actually dated and it is apparent that these dates were placed at the time the cases were originally crafted by hand.

“Masterpiece Spectacles” (all from Nuremburg, Germany) will become the key topic of a future webpage (likely in 2008) because they are so historic and so important and so incredibly rare. A pair of these spectacles would have been created by a maker (wishing to become a master) who then placed the two eyeglasses into a very basic carved wooden case. These cases had some key information written on the front cover including the date.

We have been particularly fortunate to have the special cooperation of the German National Museum in Nuremburg. They house a very significant collection of optical objects and most of their holdings are still in storage. Their group of Masterpiece Spectacle cases has been photographed by curator Dr. Ralf Schuerer and the images have been made available for this international website. We appreciate the kindness of Dr. Schuerer and also Dr. Christen Vogel from that renowned museum for sharing some incredible images of most of the earliest cases included in the slideshow below. Special thanks also go to Director General Prof. Dr. G. Ulrich Grossman and Dr. Matthias Hamann who permitted this discovery process to begin in the first place. The GNM sets a fine example for other museums to follow because this is proof that there are hidden optical treasures existing in the storage depots of European museums. Some of these objects are indeed incredibly important and therefore it is worthwhile to bring them before an interested public eye.

Perhaps other institutions have a few similar dated examples from the 17th century hidden in their storage areas. This international website invites private collectors and also those museums to explore and then share digital images of their rare examples. Those photos would then assume their appropriate place on the slideshow below, based upon the year. It has been rumored even that a case from “1591” exists. If this is so it may hold the esteemed honor of the “earliest dated eyeglass case in the world”. Confirmation of this important treasure at yet another German institution has recently been requested and we await some response….hopefully a positive “visual” one.

Enjoy the slideshow below because you are basically viewing the earliest dated eyeglass cases in the world.