Corsage holder

The corsage holder is an interesting item in the family of currently forgotten female accessories that were known back in the early modern era. Created at the end of the 19th century, the Wilanów piece is an example of a holder for a hand corsage. The shaft is made of frosted glass, and the stem holder was given the form of an extending openwork basket. Its outward appearance is composed of die-cut ornaments: intertwining floral motifs and volutes, on which women’s heads with long wavy hair are put from four sides. The basket is made of brass – an alloy of copper and zinc.

The corsage holder bears witness to the times when wearing small corsages of fresh flowers became a fashionable attribute of a lady. This fashion is identified with the Victorian Era – the period of rule of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). As can be seen on antique websites and in sources describing the everyday culture of bygone times, some examples of holders had shafts connected to the wedding ring by a chain so that the entire composition could be put on the wearer’s finger. This protected the corsage from falling down, particularly during ball dances. The formerly popular items were often made of valuable materials, such as ivory or silver, and decorated with mother-of-pearl and/or precious stones. In this context, the Wilanów piece looks quite modest, being composed of glass and cast and die-cut brass. In spite of this, it remains a very interesting – and rarely encountered in Polish museum collections – example of former material culture, fashion and customs concerning the world of women.