Artwork Page for Scissors Case (Etui)

Details / Information for Scissors Case (Etui)

Scissors Case (Etui)

c.1690

The Netherlands or France

Medium
silver
Measurements
Overall: 8.6 x 4.5 cm (3 3/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Emil Delmar 1953.632
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

The inscription on this scissor box reads “TOVS. OV. RIEN” (all or nothing) on one side and “IE. PERIRAI. PLVSTOS” (I would rather die) on the other.

Description

Attached to a belt loop, silver scissor cases were practical fashion accessories. Intricately designed and expensively produced, they demonstrated the wealth of a wearer. Cases like this one were often decorated with motifs of love and given as traditional wedding or engagement gifts. On one side of this case, two putti raise a heart above their heads, on the other they defend it with a pair of crossed spears.
A silver scissors case features a rounded top section that tapers to a narrow point. Ornate foliage and flowers coil across the dark surface, framing two winged child figures holding a central heart. A banner above them is inscribed "TOVS OV RIEN." Four small loops project from the sides. Below a central seam, a bird sits amidst flowering vines that extend to the tip, the metal textured with intricate relief carvings.

Scissors Case (Etui)

c.1690

The Netherlands or France

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