Antique c1890 Lemaire Paris Pink Enamel Opera Glasses Lorgnette MOP French /Rare For Sale

French Lemaire Paris Pink Enamel Opera Glasses with Matching Lorgnette Handle
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This was passed down in my family for 4 generations. These were from the New Orleans branch, and the B in the surname is Brady.An inherited pair of beautifully decorated French opera glasses, attributed to the late 19th century, approximately 1880–1900. With rose-pink floral enamel, gilt-metal mounts, mother-of-pearl eyepieces and a coordinating decorated handle, they bring together antique optics, French decorative arts and the elegance of an evening at the theater.

A defining period luxury object with remarkable detail and preservation

The pink-ground barrels and handle are embellished with delicate multicolored flowers, white reserves, tiny gilt stars and raised white-and-gold ornament. The effect recalls the richly decorated porcelain and enamel objects of French rococo-revival taste. Luminous mother-of-pearl eyepieces complement the warm gilt metal.

The Lemaire Paris signature and bee trademark identify the maker. A decorative monogram on the reverse bridge adds a personal detail. The handle carries decoration coordinating with the barrels, giving the ensemble a particularly appealing visual unity.

Transport yourself to an evening at the opera more than a century ago

During the Belle Époque, attending the opera or theater was an occasion for dress, conversation and display. A pair of opera glasses could be both a practical aid for following the stage and an elegant accessory to be seen in the hand. Raised from a lap or theater box, such glasses brought the performers closer while offering their owner another pleasure: surveying the spectacle of the audience itself.

Pink enamel, flowers, gilding and mother-of-pearl turned an optical instrument into something approaching jewelry for the theater. Today, these glasses would make an evocative addition to a collection of antique fashion accessories, theatrical memorabilia or French enamel.

They also offer possibilities as an authentic period accessory for a historical display, carefully handled photo shoot, costume presentation or period production. Beside an evening fan and gloves, or displayed on a dressing table, they evoke the world for which objects of this kind were made.

Comparable examples, pricing and collecting context for LeMaire French and Parisian opera glasses

• The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History also holds Lemaire opera glasses with signed mother-of-pearl eyecups, documenting the firm's place in the history of French optical manufacture (collection object nmah_1456703).
• Christie's catalogued a closely related 19th-century French Lemaire pair with pink-ground floral enamel, mother-of-pearl eyepieces and an extender button (lot archive 4067555, “A gilt-metal mounted pair of enamelled opera glasses”). This is a useful comparison for the decorative type and approximate period, rather than an appraisal of this particular pair.
• World Collectors Net's A LeMaire Opera Glasses Price Guide reports selected historical sales of decorative examples: £400 for pink floral enamel and mother-of-pearl glasses in April 2015; £440 for green enamel and ormolu glasses at John Nicholsons in November 2021; and $695 for a painted enamel courting-couple example on in December 2021. These are different objects sold at different times, with potentially different condition and sale terms; they are collecting context, not a guaranteed value or current appraisal.
• 2015's £440 is approximately $825 in today's dollars.

Details

• Maker: Lemaire, Paris, France
• Estimated date: late 19th century, approximately 1880–1900
• Type: opera/theater glasses with lorgnette handle
• Materials: enamel, gilt metal, mother-of-pearl and glass
• Decoration: pink ground, polychrome flowers, white reserves and raised white-and-gilt details
• Marks: Lemaire Paris signature, bee trademark and decorative monogram; see close-up photographs
• Style: Belle Époque / rococo-revival taste - full opera glasses with handle (rare)
• Maximum magnification: unknown

Condition and photographs

Pre-owned antique kept with original family, with age-related surface wear and patina. Please review all close-up photographs and the close-up video for the enamel, metalwork, eyepieces, lenses and handle. The photographs show the actual item offered and form part of the description. The date is an informed estimate, not a documented manufacture date.

Offered as an antique collectible. Please ask about any detail important to your intended use before purchasing. This was passed down in my family for 4 generations. Oral family history places its use/first ownership at the Ashton Plantation, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.

Why add these to a collection?

The appeal lies in the combination: signed French manufacture, intricate pink floral decoration, shimmering mother-of-pearl and a matching decorative handle. They are small enough for a cabinet display yet detailed enough to reward close inspection—a charming connection to the art of dressing for an evening at the theater.