Jewel casket
Elegant nécessaires de poche filled with minute utensils for grooming, writing, or sewing were fashionable during the eighteenth century. Made of gold with hard stones, mother-of-pearl, or tortoiseshell, they were the work of a goldsmith and often served as New Year’s presents. Here, an openwork pattern of scrolls, floral garlands, small animals, birds, and dancing musicians in gold is placed on panels of striated agate. The original contents of the nécessaire are missing.
Artwork Details
- Title: Jewel casket
- Date: mid-18th century
- Culture: British
- Medium: Gold, agate, diamond, mirror glass
- Dimensions: Overall (with handle raised, confirmed): 3 15/16 × 4 1/8 × 3 1/4 in. (10 × 10.5 × 8.3 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
- Credit Line: Gift of Admiral F. R. Harris, in memory of his wife, Dena Sperry Harris, 1946
- Object Number: 46.147.3
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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