Skip to main content

Fob seal: M.101-1930

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Fob seal with carnelian sealstone and agate handle carved as a turbaned head of a black woman

Carved carnelian and agate with gold mounts, enamelled in blue and white, set with a crystal and red and green stones or pastes. Oval carnelian sealstone with an intaglio bust of William Shakespeare, bearded and with hair combed round the crown, two rows of tight curls encircling the head, facing in profile to the left. Agate handle carved in the round with the head of a turbaned black woman, mouth open showing white teeth, thick curls fringing her face; the yellow and white turban pinned with a gold ornament set with a table-cut crystal(?) supporting the suspension loop. The mount round her neck comprises a choker set with red stones or pastes, centred on an oval green stone or paste, beneath which are three enamelled borders.

Notes

History note: Frank Gray Smart

Legal notes

From the Frank Smart Collection, given by T.J.G. Duncanson

Measurements and weight

Height: 4.9 cm
Width: 2.6 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1930-02-14) by Duncanson, T. J. G.

Dating

19th Century
Circa 1800 CE - Circa 1900 CE

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Stone composed of crystal paste
Decoration composed of enamel
Handle composed of agate
Sealstone composed of carnelian Length 1.6 cm Width 1.3 cm
Mount composed of gold

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.101-1930
Primary reference Number: 152106
Old object number: M.2-1930
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 25 January 2019 Last processed: Wednesday 7 February 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Fob seal" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/152106 Accessed: 2024-11-14 17:35:49

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/152106 |title=Fob seal |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-14 17:35:49|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-152106

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...