<I>Bouquet holder, beads with mother of pearl handle</I>

ca.1830-1920

Gilded brass bouquet holder with enamel and beads with a mother of pearl handle. The vase is comprised to four sides in two alternating designs that are partially enameled with blue, white, and black. One of the designs features a large, oval medallion stamped with ornate decoration and bejeweled with small, red and turquoise, glass “gems” at four points around a larger, central red-glass faceted stone. Each medallion has a thin, twisted wire encircling it and rests on a large shell ornament. Attached to one of the medallions is a short length of round-link chain connected to a loop-ended floral pin. 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 alternate designs of the vase feature a teardrop-shaped, twisted wire surrounding a four-pronged ornament of acanthus leaves and spheres. The four sides of the vase rest on pair of textured shells resting on the neck band that connects the vase to the handle. The spindle handle is made from turned mother of pearl, and the tip has broken off. This bouquet holder is representative of the taste for historical motifs that were popular in the nineteenth century.