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Source Description
A pomander was a pierced container, usually of highly decorated metal, containing an aromatic substance, such as balsam resin or ambergris (a sweet-smelling oily wax regurgitated by the sperm whale), worn to protect against bad odors. Women often suspended them from their girdle (belt). "Pomander" can also refer to the sweet-smelling substances themselves, which today we may put in a drawer with linens or underwear.Here, a small pomander is combined with a toothpick, a necessity in the time before toothbrushes. Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) carried one. During the 1600s, the popularity of wooden toothpicks made carrying one like this a bit old-fashioned.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
29870
label
Toothpick/Pomander
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
29870
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Toothpick/Pomander
description
A pomander was a pierced container, usually of highly decorated metal, containing an aromatic substance, such as balsam resin or ambergris (a sweet-smelling oily wax regurgitated by the sperm whale), worn to protect against bad odors. Women often suspended them from their girdle (belt). "Pomander" can also refer to the sweet-smelling substances themselves, which today we may put in a drawer with linens or underwear.Here, a small pomander is combined with a toothpick, a necessity in the time before toothbrushes. Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) carried one. During the 1600s, the popularity of wooden toothpicks made carrying one like this a bit old-fashioned.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1550-1600 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Enamels
toothpicks
pomanders
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
9
height
3.2
depth
1.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 3 9/16 × W: 1 1/4 × D: 9/16 in. (9 × 3.2 × 1.5 cm)
Source extras
med
gold, enamel, diamond, rubies, pearls
creator_ids
6211
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
1994
2054
2513
2704
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
04e538994cbc7eb1
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
61f5a15ff90cfef2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no