Military doctor's belt buckle, consisting of two discs, with caduceus, linked by serpent, in ormolu, French, 1830-1890

Made:
1830-1890 in France
maker:
Unknown

Military doctor's belt buckle, consisting of two discs, with caduceus, linked by serpent, in ormolu, French, 1830-1890. Ormolu describes decorative objects, or furniture mounts, made in the 18th and early 19th centuries in cast brass, and then chased and gilded.The term is frequently used wrongly for gilt bronze and recent research has shown that most ormolu objects are of brass rather than bronze.The finest examples of ormolu were made in France in the second half of the 18th century. Some fine ormolu was also produced in Birmingham by Mathew Boulton between 1768 and 1782.

Details

Category:
Wellcome (general)
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A79165
Materials:
ormolu
Measurements:
disc: diameter 43 mm
buckle fastened: length 148 mm
buckle, maximum: width 43 mm
type:
brass, medical symbolism and buckles
credit:
Robert, C.