Wall-Hung Watch Holder in Gilt and Mother-of-Pearl, c.1880
A wall-hanging pocket watch holder in gilt metal and mother-of-pearl, made in the late 19th century. The watch hooked over the wire at the top and hung against the round gilt surround. The recess and the shell below took rings and small jewellery.
The lower half is set with a large natural mother-of-pearl shell, a deep curved section of shell rather than a flat cut plaque, with a strong pink and green orient that shifts across it as it moves in the light. It sits tight in a beaded gilt bezel and is scalloped along its top edge.
The gilt body is stamped from sheet metal, waisted between the round watch surround at the top and a pointed finial at the foot. A naturalistic floral spray is stamped into the flat surface at the centre, framed by scalloped borders that run the length of the piece. The crest above the surround is a separately cast rococo-revival mount with a central oval cartouche, and the original bent wire that carries the watch rises from it.
There are no maker's marks anywhere on the piece, and the metal is gilt base metal rather than silver or gold. The naturalistic shell and the folk-style stamped decoration point to Continental work of around 1870 to 1890.
It is complete and stable. The gilt is honestly rubbed on the crest and around the surround, the stamped decoration stays crisp, and the shell is solid in its frame with natural surface lines and no chips or losses. Overall length 22cm.
