Brillendoos van Willem Credo before 1733

Curator: This is the "Brillendoos van Willem Credo," a Baroque eyeglass case, with eyeglasses, dating to before 1733. Both are made of silver. Editor: The cool, silvery surfaces make a striking contrast against the clarity of the lenses and also the darkness of the text that would be seen through them, emphasizing a relationship between seeing and the written word. Curator: Exactly. Eyeglasses in the 18th century became potent symbols of literacy, scholarly activity, and social standing, marking one's access to knowledge and participation in public discourse. Silver further signified luxury and elevated the eyeglasses and case to status symbols, used and probably commissioned by the affluent in the Netherlands. Editor: I’m particularly drawn to the way the artist uses the circular shape of the lenses repeated on the container, united by floral decorations. It provides such visual harmony. The very slightly baroque asymmetry is wonderfully understated, in contrast with some contemporary examples of that era. Curator: Consider who would commission such an object. Spectacles became increasingly essential for those engaged in reading, writing, and business transactions, which expanded among a rising merchant class and the establishment. Crafting this item also served the interests of the makers of precious metal work as they provided accoutrements to rising class consciousness. Editor: Do you think the silver impacts our perception of clarity? Is it juxtaposing wealth with intellect or is the purpose purely practical in terms of maintaining cleanliness? Curator: Probably, but what strikes me is how the object speaks to a broader shift in visual culture. These items would have enhanced not only individual sight, but would shape what the beholder might observe in social or political conditions. Editor: Well, I find it wonderful that the form has survived virtually untouched, and allows a modern person to connect with what sight, and the maintenance of sight, signified centuries before. Curator: Absolutely. These eyeglasses prompt us to question what it meant to observe and be observed in society at the dawn of enlightenment in the Netherlands.