THE VINTAGE THIMBLE

Ritual helmet 1677. Nepal. Gilt copper, set with stones. Elaborate crowns of this type are worn by Vajracaryas, Buddhist priests when officiating at religious ceremonies in Nepal. Vajracarya, "master of the thunderbolt", is both a caste and family name indicating those entitled to perform priestly functions. They command the highest rank in the Buddhist community, the equivalent of Brahmins in the Hindu context. They typically use both a vajra (thunderbolt sceptre) and ghanta (ritual bell) in these rituals. This crown has individually cast medallions depicting Bodhisattvas positioned around the dome, with Vairocana in the centre; each is framed within an elaborate foliate medallion. The crown is surmounted by a five-pronged half-vajra. A dated inscription (Nepal Samvat 797) invokes Vajrasattva, the supreme deity of the vajra sect. A number of these crowns have survived, but this example is the finest and most complete. | V&A

Embroidered Linen Forehead Cloth English, ca. 1610.

Triangular in shape and lavishly embellished, a forehead cloth—also called a cross-cloth or crosset—was a feminine accessory sometimes worn with a coif, an informal type of cap. Rare after the mid-seventeenth century, forehead cloths first appeared in conjunction with the coif around 1580; embroidered with patterns to match, they were worn around the forehead and draped over the coif with the point facing backwards. Though the occasions on which a lady might wear a forehead cloth are not fully known, it seems that they were used for bedside receptions and in times of sickness. In his 1617 travels through Ireland, English author Fynes Moryson observed that, “Many weare such crosse-clothes or forehead clothes as our women use when they are sicke.”| Cora Ginsburg

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough wearing the symbol of her office and authority - the gold key, by Sir Godfrey Kneller. Circa 1700. | NPG

Purse Small purse in the shape of a frog: 17th century.

Purses and textile novelties which could be used for coins, trinkets or perfume flasks were extremely popular gifts. | Museum of London

Necklace Europe (West). Ca. 1660 (bow) 1800-1900 (chain and pendant). Enamelled gold set with table-cut diamonds, hung with a pearl and a large polished sapphire.

Necklace based on the bow motif. Small bows in alternating turquoise/black and white/turquoise enamel are linked together to form the chain; at the front is a large diamond-set bow with flowers and sapphire and pearl drop. The bow made in Western Europe, about 1660, the chain and pendant probably made 1800-1900. | V&A

Spectacle case and spectacles England, ca. 1685-1688 (case) - 1700-1725 (spectacles). Spectacle case of painted and gilded mother-of-pearl, containing a later pair of folding spectacles, of tortoise-shell and silver.

This spectacle case may have belonged to James II, although the folding spectacles most certainly were made several decades after his death in exile in 1701. The painted mother-of-pearl case is of the very highest quality—certainly fit for a king’s use—and was probably made in France. Folding spectacles are mentioned in the advertisement of a French maker in 1745. They are described as ‘in the English style’. It is likely that folding spectacles had been made for a decade or so before 1745, but there is no evidence that they were made during the lifetime of James II. A letter that accompanied the spectacles, written at the end of the 18th century, describes in detail how the case passed by gift from James’s son, the Old Pretender, through several hands, until it came into the possession of a Mr Walker in 1770. By that time it must have been revered as a Jacobite relic by those who favoured the Stuart claim to the English throne. | V&A

Spectacles and Carved Wood Case, circa 17th century. | ↳ Antique Spectacles

Doublet, early 1620s, French, silk. Made of luxurious silk embellished with pinking and decorative slits, this doublet followed a fashion that existed barely five years. Pinking, or the intentional slashing of fabric, was a popular decorative technique used to reveal colorful linings, shirts, and chemises. It is possible that this garment was constructed from silk previously pinked for another use as the pattern created does not follow the cut of the garment. | THE MET

Woman's close-fitting long sleeved jacket, front view: 17th century, 1610 - 1620. | MUSEUM OF LONDON

Pair of gauntlet gloves in soft white kidskin: 17th century, 1610 - 1650. | MUSEUM OF LONDON

Portrait of Marie-Louise de Tassis, by Anthony Van Dyck, 1630. Marie-Louise de Tassis wears a short-waisted gown with a sash over a tabbed bodice with a long stomacher and matching pettiicoat and virago sleeves, c. 1629–30.

Pendant reliquary in the form of a gold cross: 16th - 17th century. | Museum of London

Corset, 1671 AD - 1680 AD. The corset is made from warp-patterned blue worsted with central decoration of silver and silver gilt braid and spangles, over an Italian green silk brocaded with a white silk branch and a self-coloured pattern in the ground. The ends of the corset and the arm holes are bound with green ribbon. The corset is lined with sweat stained white linen. The silk dates to the early 17th century. | ↳ Museum Of London>

Clock-watch, Watchmaker: Michael Nouwen (recorded 1571– died 1613) Date: ca. 1600–1610 Culture: British, London Medium: Case: gilded brass; movement: gilded brass and iron. THE MET

Pair-case watch, Watchmaker: Thomas Tompion (1639–1713) Maker: Case maker: Nathanial Delander (recorded 1668 or 1669, died ca. 1691 or before) Date: before 1682, Culture: British, London Medium: Outer case: leather, studded with gold pins; Inner case and champlevé dial: gold; movement, with verge escapment signed. THE MET