<I>Bouquet holder, palmettes, white glass handle</I>

ca.1830-1920

Gilded brass bouquet holder with white glass handle. The vase is formed by four stamped palmettes. Near the top of the joins are hemi-spherical caps. A chain connecting a floral pin to the base of the vase is looped through a hole near the bottom of one of the palmettes. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle is formed from an unembellished sheet of gilded brass. The spindle handle is opaque white glass that becomes transparent near its tip. Near the bottom a band around one of the registers connects a short length of round-link chain attached to a ring. This would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.