"Embroidered Brass Handkerchief"
Germany, 18th century 
21cm ~ Brass 

 

This elaborately embroidered handkerchief, or "Taschentuch" shows an extraordinary level of craftsmanship, reflecting the rococo style in sewing and dressmaking popular at the time. Scholars continue to debate why anyone would make a handkerchief out of brass in the first place, but the German tradition of durability may account for it.

 

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