A special find in Windesheim
During an excavation in 1988 at Bergweg in Windesheim, a horn pince-nez was unearthed in a bear pit. It was a pince-nez that was pinched on the nose without resting on the ears. Based on other finds in the pit, the glasses could be dated to around 1400. At the time, this made it the oldest pair of glasses in the Netherlands. In 2001, an even older and more complete pair of glasses was found in Bergen op Zoom.
The pince-nez
This type of glasses was invented at the end of the 13th century in Northern Italy and was usually made of horn, bone, or wood. The first written mentions of glasses date from around 1280. From the 14th century onwards, historical sources also mention different lens strengths. The lenses were made of glass or the mineral beryl. The glasses frame had a groove in which the lenses could be clamped. Glasses in the 14th century were often associated with monastic and castle life. Archaeological research based on the presence of glasses cases now shows that glasses also appeared in poorer contexts during that period.
The glasses from Windesheim can be classified as the oldest type of pince-nez, with a break in the frame to make it easier to insert the lenses. After placing the lenses, the frame was reinforced at the breaks with thread or wire.
The nearsighted monk Gerard van Vollenhove
One of the monks who worked in Zwolle was Gerard van Vollenhove. Part of his duties was copying books. In the 15th-century book by Jacobus De Voecht about the friary in Zwolle, it is written about him: He was a very dedicated writer and tireless in his work. The brothers said about him that the books he had written could not be transported in one cart. Therefore, when he grew old and could hardly see through his beryl to hold his pen, he did not stop writing, so that when he stretched out his hands, his fingers automatically arranged themselves as if he had a pen to write with. This shows that Gerard van Vollenhove was a nearsighted monk who had glasses to be able to write. Also, in the mother monastery of the Modern Devotists in Windesheim, such monks were busy copying texts. One of the monks there also needed glasses to do his work well.
Come and see!
The Find of the Month can be seen at the Heritage Hotspot in ANNO City Museum Zwolle. Want to know more? Then visit the website www.anno.nl.
Images
- Fig. 1. Pince-nez from around 1400, found in 1988 at Bergweg in Windesheim (Heritage Zwolle).
- Fig. 2. Detail of the painting Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele from 1436 by Jan van Eyck (Musea Brugge).