<I>Bouquet holder, incised arches</I>

ca. 1869

Cone-shaped vase and handle made of silver in the Gothic Revival style of the Victorian era. The vase of this posy holder is designed with incised medallions alternating between patterned and smooth surfaces that create a Gothic arch motif around that vase. A bulge with incised line patterning surrounds the top of the vase just below the lip, which is beaded. The vase connects to the handle at in a stepped sequence of rings and swells. The central swell at this point mimics the pattern around the bulge at the top of the vase. A pin on a chain is connected to his point that would be inserted into the vase, in order to secure the flowers in place. The straight handle culminates in as swell where a ring on a chain is attached. This ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn about the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is ornamented with incised lines which extend from medallion shapes surrounding a basket weave motif at the base of the handle. Surfaces are embossed with scrolls and foliate motifs.