A remarkable and deeply fascinating collection of antique hand blown prosthetic glass eyes dating to around 1900, presented in their original corrugated cardboard display box — itself a historically datable artifact, as cardboard boxes of this type came into use after 1880. The box is labeled “J. Janicot” and originates from Bagnolet, just outside Paris, France, placing this set firmly within the distinguished tradition of French ocular prosthetic craftsmanship.
Prosthetic glass eyes of this period were made necessary by the prevalence of incurable eye diseases and irreparable ocular injuries. In an era before modern medicine could save many diseased eyes, enucleation — surgical removal of the eye — was frequently the only recourse, and the fitting of a lifelike glass prosthetic eye was both a medical and a deeply personal matter for the patient. The various wars of the 19th and early 20th centuries added greatly to the demand for skilled glass eye makers, keeping the craft extremely active.
This set was crafted by expert glass blowers in a variety of sizes and colors, showcasing the extraordinary skill required to produce convincingly lifelike ocular prosthetics entirely by hand. The collection contains 21 intact glass eyes in various iris colors and sizes, along with 5 broken examples which are nonetheless useful for examining the internal glass structure. One of the intact eyes has a defectively colored sclera — a telling reminder of the challenges of hand craftsmanship. Today’s acrylic prosthetic eyes replaced glass ones largely in response to World War II, when Germany — the world’s primary source of high quality blown glass eyes — could no longer supply them.
A haunting, beautiful, and historically significant collection of rare ocular medical history.
