Chinese Leather Monocle Case

An olive-green capsule with a golden belt and a little tassel dangling from one end.

This shagreen monocle case is from China, and dates to the 20th century. The monocle, a single corrective lens worn in front of one eye, was a fashionable accessory in Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A long, rounded oblong case covered in a fine pebbled skin in muted green, split in two halves by a pair of golden bands. A crack runs across one side, and a green cord with fringe trails from the end. It is 3 inches wide, 1 deep and 7 high.

Pill-shaped and proud, with a tassel for good measure.