Reading glass with two lenses (loupe)
This reading glass with two lenses demonstrates the interest in optical enhancement that took hold during the eighteenth century. Each lens, of different magnification, pivots from the central enameled and gold case. Handheld loupes with one or more lenses were distinct from eyeglasses and opera glasses. Designed to enlarge objects at a short distance from the user, a similar loupe was allegedly carried by Madame de Pompadour to assist her eyesight with reading.
Artwork Details
- Title: Reading glass with two lenses (loupe)
- Date: ca. 1780
- Culture: French
- Medium: Gold, enamel, glass
- Dimensions: confirmed, closed: 2 1/8 × 3 5/8 × 1/2 in. (5.4 × 9.2 × 1.3 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.283.104
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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