Fob
Unknown Artist
early 19th century
Medium
silver
Classification
Fob
Culture
European
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lee Simonson, 1938
Accession Number
C.I.38.23.464
About this artwork
This silver fob from early nineteenth-century Europe represents the refined decorative arts that characterized men's fashion accessories during the Regency and early Victorian periods. Fobs—decorative seals or ornaments suspended from watch chains—served both practical and ornamental functions, allowing men to express personal taste through carefully chosen objects. Watches, worn in waistcoat pockets, were attached to chains or ribbons secured by fobs that hung decoratively outside the clothing....