Golden brown horn bottle with spiraling end and silver cap, chain, and ring. The bottle has the tapering shape of a horn, with the narrow end curled into a spiral. The wide end has flat silver decorations: a small shield shape below an engraved scalloped band. Capping the horn, a silver lid with a low relief wavy thistle design. An amber-colored cut gemstone in a prong setting is centered on the top. The lower edge of the lid appears to read 'STERLING'. Affixed to the lid, leading up and away from the horn, a silver chain with a ring at its end.

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Object Timeline

1967	We acquired this object.
1995	We photographed this object.
2019	We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Vinaigrette (Scotland), mid-19th century

This is a Vinaigrette. It is dated mid-19th century and we acquired it in 1967. Its medium is worked horn with applied repoussé silver, topaz. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

Vinaigrettes, small ornamental containers fitted with perforated tops and sponges drenched in perfume or aromatic vinegars, were often carried by women to counter the foul odors of city streets, particularly during the 19th century before the advent of modern sanitation. This distinctive vinaigrette is made from horn heated and coiled, amplifying the horn's natural shape.

This object was donated by Unknown. It is credited Gift of Anonymous Donor.

A rectangular cigarette or card box with rounded corners and edges in a horizontal orientation carved from a block of translucent beige agate stone with naturally occurring cream-colored striations. Rose-cut diamond encrusted back hinges and front clasp are set in platinum possessing a semi-circle formation with two inner calibre-cut sapphires veering left and right on the upper segment and a narrow “U” formation with a bar across on the lower segment. The box could fit in the palm of your hand and might feel heavy and cold because of the agate stone. The photograph captures the object at an angle where the top and front are viewable as is a reflection against a white ground.

Cigarette Or Card Box, Carved, ca. 1919
carved agate, rose-cut diamonds, calibre-cut sapphires, platinum.
Lent by Private Collection.
13.2016.64

The Substitute, 2019
installation, video.
Commissioned by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and Cube design museum.
NATURE.040

Cite this object as

Vinaigrette (Scotland), mid-19th century; worked horn with applied repoussé silver, topaz; Gift of Anonymous Donor; 1967-48-85

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Plastics.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2CAMB/
Accession Number 1967-48-85
Object ID 18457549