Date made
circa 1870 - circa 1895Time Period
VictorianNotes
Elaborate pierced filigree
The lace-like openwork with beaded dots, scrolling vines, and symmetrical panels is classic late-Victorian decorative metalwork.
This level of detail was achieved by casting, then hand-finished—not stamped (important).
Butterfly / winged motif
The central design reads as a stylized butterfly or winged fan, very popular in the Aesthetic Movement period (1870s–1890s).
Nature-inspired forms (insects, leaves, fans) were extremely fashionable in women’s accessories.
Ball-ended kiss clasp
The rounded ball finials and central pivot match Victorian kiss-lock mechanisms.
Earlier Georgian pieces use simpler hooks; later Edwardian frames become lighter and more linear.
Attachment holes along the inner rim
Those evenly spaced holes are for sewing the textile purse body directly to the frame.
This is correct for the era—Victorian purses were often silk, velvet, beaded, or crocheted and custom-fitted to the frame.
