Description
“Optics in Italian Paintings from the Middle Ages” Series
This year’s microfiber celebrates the 70th anniversary of Urbano’s entry into eyeglass production (Safilo factory, Calalzo di C., October 18, 1946).
Work: “The Circumcision,” painting by Ludovico Mazzolino (1480-1528), Giorgio Cini Foundation, Venice
During the circumcision of the baby Jesus, at the bottom right, a reader holds a pair of spectacles to aid in understanding the text.
The glasses are unique in that they have a single temple attached to the bridge and are a very early depiction of cap-style spectacles: they were intended to be worn under a hat, but since the subject depicted is not wearing one, the visual aid is held upside down.
