Chatelaine with etui and two thimble cases

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Objets de vertu. Chatelaine with etui and two thimble cases. Gilt metal chatelaine, embossed and chased with rococo decoration. The chatelaine comprises three hinged sections; the uppermost with a long spatulate hook; the central one comprising 13 small linked plaques; the lowest with openwork scrolls either side of a swivel loop. Suspended from the top section are two thimble cases (A & B) with hinged lids. One case contains a thimble (C). Suspended from the lowest section is a shaped triangular etui (D) oval in section, with hinged lid and sprung button clasp. The fitted interior contains a pair of steel scissors (E), a folding knife (F), a silver spoon (G), an earpick/pair of tweezers (H), a pencil case (I) and a pair of ivory memorandum leaves hinged with a gilt button (J). (There are cavities for two more tools, which are missing.) The cast chatelaine is chased with a basket of flowers, the small plaques are chased with a lion and crowns; the embossed etui is chased with two panel containing female figures in contemporary dress within borders of masks, scrolls and rocaille decoration; the thimble cases are similarly decorated. Gilt metal, cast, embossed and chased, length, whole, 20.0 cm, height, etui, 2.5 cm, length, etui, 11.0 cm, width, etui, 3.8 cm, height, thimblecase, 2.3 cm, length, thimblecase, 4.5 cm, width, thimblecase, 2.5 cm, circa 1760. Rococo.

Image data

Accession Number: MAR.M.289 & A-G-1912
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/19.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Katie Young
Image height: 1024 pixels
Image width: 768 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
Filesize: 464.13kB
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 19/1
Captured: 2014:08:26 15:20:39

Key words

18th Century case cast chased chatelaine embossed etui Fitz_AA Georgian gilt hinged metal Rococo sewing thimble thimble case

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Chatelaine with etui and two thimble cases"
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