Antique 14K Gold Art Nouveau Lorgnette Folding Opera Glasses, 1890s-1910s

A lorgnette is a pair of glasses or opera glasses held by a handle at one side. Apparently, the word lorgnette was derived from the French word for "squinting”! The things you learn.
 
The lorgnette was a fashionable accessory for women and high-society individuals from the 18th to the 20th centuries, symbolizing refinement but also sometimes affectation and snobbery.  They were meant to be a handheld vision aid, particularly for women of high society, but they were often seen as accessories that enhanced an outfit, allowed for observation, and served as a status symbol (rather than serious vision correctors).
 
Ours belonged to an unknown 'Aunt Nez', according to a note from our mother. (We are assuming this was an older friend of the family.) We would date them to the 1890s-1910s especially given the Art Nouveau handle style which features stylized filigree leaves in a plant motif leading down to a heart shape end point.
 
 
It is marked 14K on the inner nose rest. 14k gold was a common material in antique lorgnettes. It also features folding frames that overlap each other in the closed state. A spring loaded mechanism on the handle deploys the double lenses when pressed. The frames can easily later be folded back into the frame which ‘auto locks’.
 
These do come with prescription lenses which are much too strong for us to see through. They can be changed out as suits the buyer, at buyer cost, of course.
 
The current lenses do have some scratches and the handle also appears to have a small set of scratches, the latter visible in photos.
 
Unfolded H 3” x W 4 7/8”
Folded H 3 1/2” x W 1 7/8”
0.68 oz (18g)
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.