<I>Bouquet holder, leaf & wheat motif</I>

ca. 1860-1870

Bouquet holder with cone-shaped vase of silver with gold wash and clamp opening. The vase is divided in three sections with an applied rope-work. Around the lip of the vase is a row neoclassical palm leaves creating a crown-like edging. Two graduated rows of stamped and applied classical palmettes on the upper section and a row of wheat branches in the lower section decorates the vase typical of the neoclassical fashions of the second half of the nineteenth century. Inside the upper section for the vase, a unique double pincer snap-catch mechanism engages a pair of cast metal elements with a stylized leaf design to hold the bouquet in place. There is no evidence of an attachment for a chain and pin. A hole in the bottom suggests an attachment of a chain ending in a finger ring, however both are missing.