Toothpick/Pomander
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Walters Art Museum Object Description
A pomander was a pierced container, usually of highly decorated metal, containing an aromatic substance, such as balsam resin or ambergris (a sweet-smelling oily wax regurgitated by the sperm whale), worn to protect against bad odors. Women often suspended them from their girdle (belt). "Pomander" can also refer to the sweet-smelling substances themselves, which today we may put in a drawer with linens or underwear.Here, a small pomander is combined with a toothpick, a necessity in the time before toothbrushes. Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) carried one. During the 1600s, the popularity of wooden toothpicks made carrying one like this a bit old-fashioned.For the latest information about this object, Toothpick/Pomander, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.
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All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:
German, Toothpick/Pomander, 1550-1600 (Renaissance), Walters Art Museum. CC0, GNU Free Documentation License.
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