Until the invention of temples one of the main problems regarding the
use of glasses was how to keep them in a correct position on the nose,
since the commenly used materials, like horn, brass or whalebone, did not
guarantee enough elasticity for a good held. In the late sixteenth century,
in order to allow movement o those using them, glasses were provided
with small strings, inserted in lateral holes. The strings, passing behind the
ears, granted a certain stability to the glasses. This was clearly a
satisfactory solution, as in the East where the habit had been introduced
by European missionaries, the system remained in use until the end of the
eighteenth century.
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