Victorian Mother-of-Pearl Shell Coin Purse with Hand-Painted Decoration and Chain Handle
Victorian Mother-of-Pearl Shell Coin Purse with Hand-Painted Decoration and Chain Handle
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Additional Description:
A charming Victorian-era mother-of-pearl shell purse or coin holder, crafted from a naturally iridescent shell mounted with delicate metal fittings and a suspended chain handle. The exterior retains its luminous nacreous surface with subtle cream, blush, and silvery tones that shimmer beautifully in the light.
The front is hand-decorated with petite floral garlands in red, green, and ochre pigments, giving the piece a whimsical folk-art quality. The shell opens on a tiny hinged mount with an ornate clasp escutcheon featuring a crowned monogram or cipher motif, suggestive of late 19th-century decorative metalwork traditions.
Inside, the purse retains its original fitted red textile lining with accordion-style leather dividers, allowing for organized storage of coins or small personal effects. The vivid crimson interior contrasts dramatically against the soft pearlized exterior and remains especially evocative of Victorian personal accessories and seaside souvenir craftsmanship.
Such shell purses were fashionable novelty accessories during the Victorian era and were often sold as keepsakes in coastal resort towns or produced as delicate ladies’ vanity accessories. The organic shell form combined with refined interior compartmentalization makes this an especially charming surviving example.
Era:
Victorian period, circa 1880–1900.
History:
During the late 19th century, natural shells and mother-of-pearl objects became highly fashionable decorative materials for ladies’ accessories and souvenir wares. Coastal resorts throughout Europe and America sold shell-crafted objects ranging from calling card cases to coin purses and trinket boxes. These pieces reflected Victorian fascination with natural forms, oceanic curiosities, and finely detailed feminine accessories.
Provenance:
Likely European or coastal souvenir production from the late 19th century.
Materials:
Mother-of-pearl shell, metal mounts, metal chain, textile lining, leather accordion dividers.
Dimensions:
[Insert dimensions]
Disclaimers:
Age-related wear throughout including surface wear, cracking and separation along shell edges, oxidation to metal components, wear and fraying to the chain attachment, and losses/wear to the interior textile lining. Interior compartments show age-related distortion and wear consistent with use. Please review photographs carefully for full condition details.
Additional Description:
A charming Victorian-era mother-of-pearl shell purse or coin holder, crafted from a naturally iridescent shell mounted with delicate metal fittings and a suspended chain handle. The exterior retains its luminous nacreous surface with subtle cream, blush, and silvery tones that shimmer beautifully in the light.
The front is hand-decorated with petite floral garlands in red, green, and ochre pigments, giving the piece a whimsical folk-art quality. The shell opens on a tiny hinged mount with an ornate clasp escutcheon featuring a crowned monogram or cipher motif, suggestive of late 19th-century decorative metalwork traditions.
Inside, the purse retains its original fitted red textile lining with accordion-style leather dividers, allowing for organized storage of coins or small personal effects. The vivid crimson interior contrasts dramatically against the soft pearlized exterior and remains especially evocative of Victorian personal accessories and seaside souvenir craftsmanship.
Such shell purses were fashionable novelty accessories during the Victorian era and were often sold as keepsakes in coastal resort towns or produced as delicate ladies’ vanity accessories. The organic shell form combined with refined interior compartmentalization makes this an especially charming surviving example.
Era:
Victorian period, circa 1880–1900.
History:
During the late 19th century, natural shells and mother-of-pearl objects became highly fashionable decorative materials for ladies’ accessories and souvenir wares. Coastal resorts throughout Europe and America sold shell-crafted objects ranging from calling card cases to coin purses and trinket boxes. These pieces reflected Victorian fascination with natural forms, oceanic curiosities, and finely detailed feminine accessories.
Provenance:
Likely European or coastal souvenir production from the late 19th century.
Materials:
Mother-of-pearl shell, metal mounts, metal chain, textile lining, leather accordion dividers.
Dimensions:
[Insert dimensions]
Disclaimers:
Age-related wear throughout including surface wear, cracking and separation along shell edges, oxidation to metal components, wear and fraying to the chain attachment, and losses/wear to the interior textile lining. Interior compartments show age-related distortion and wear consistent with use. Please review photographs carefully for full condition details.