What a Sight! Forbidden City Spectacle is Real Eye-opener

In times long gone by, what could a long-sighted emperor do to bring the world back into focus?

Order a pair of spectacles, of course.

But you wouldnt expect the elite of the Forbidden City to make do with any old eyewear.

And a fascinating archive offers an intriguing insight into the weird, wonderful and eminently collectible glasses sported by members of the imperial family and their favourites.

Brass frames with silk-wrapped legs and small crystal lenses topped off with white or yellow jade certainly catch the eye of today s visitor.

Typical spectacles of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) preserved within the walls of the Forbidden City are included alongside a dazzling variety of jewellery. In total there are around 100 different examples of elegant eyewear, most of which was designed to correct long-sightedness.

The lenses are made of various hues of crystal while the frames range in material from gold, silver, copper, bone and ivory to hawksbill and bull horn.

Even the boxes made to contain these eye-catching and often rather psychedelic-looking spectacles were exquisitely designed in a variety of shapes and sizes and in materials ranging from sharkskin to silk, rosewood to brocade to different types of cloth.

Shortly after glasses first appeared in China towards the end of the Ming (1638-1644) and into the beginning of the Qing dynasties, they became fashionable within the Forbidden City.

As high-quality materials were used for both the spectacles and their cases, only the well to do could afford what was then a luxury to most ordinary people. Initially, a special group of craftsmen were appointed to make spectacles for emperors and ministers in their favour.

Emperors would often gift exquisitely crafted glasses to loyal friends, members of the family and loved ones. Details of these specially designed spectacles can now be perused within the Archive of the Forbidden City.

The diversity of eyewear increased markedly as foreign envoys - as well as provincial officials - would present new styles to emperors. Court officials would also seek out the latest styles in the antique markets of Beijing.

Emperor Yongzheng (r.1723-36) in particular had a great fancy for glasses originating in the West. He would task craftsmen with producing spectacles in styles appropriate to the age of the wearer.

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About Mao Xianmin

Mao Xianmin, born in 1954, is an expert in the management and research of cultural relics in the Forbidden City.