Antique J. Lizars Liverpool Mother of Pearl Opera Glasses

Antique mother-of-pearl opera glasses by J. Lizars, Liverpool, dating from the late Victorian or Edwardian period (c. 1890–1910).

Both barrels are faced with lustrous, iridescent mother-of-pearl panels, with nickel-plated mounts, mother-of-pearl end caps and a milled central focusing wheel. The hinge arms are engraved “J. LIZARS” and “LIVERPOOL”, and the bridge is also stamped “Mrs N. Capon, Liverpool”. Lizars was a respected optician, and this is a lovely example of a theatre-going accessory from the golden age of opera glasses.

Condition: Excellent for their age, with a good lustre to the pearl and the plating. The focusing wheel turns smoothly and the glasses fold and extend as they should. There is one flaw, shown in the photos: a small sliver of mother-of-pearl is missing from the edge of the objective lens ring. It is cosmetic only and does not affect use. There is some light, age-appropriate dust and wear to the lenses, as you would expect with glasses of this age. Please look carefully at all the photos, as they form part of the description.

Size: approx. 10 cm wide x 5.5 cm high when closed.

A lovely piece for a collector of antique scientific instruments, vintage theatre accessories or mother-of-pearl.