Name/Title
Small Hatelet SkewerEntry/Object ID
2025.1.908Description
A small Hatelet skewer fo Rabbit or HareContext
A hatelet (or attelet) is an ornate, decorative French skewer, typically made of silver or silver plate, used in fine dining or grand buffets to garnish, hold together, or identify meat, fish, or pie dishes. Popular from the 19th century, they often feature detailed, themed finials like animals, birds, or crests.
Design: Feature highly decorative handles, often hollow, depicting animals (rabbits, deer, wild boar) or marine life (dolphins, fish).
Usage: They were historically used as "pie markers" to indicate the filling inside, or inserted into roasted,, game, or fish dishes just before serving.
Era: Most commonly found in antique French silver from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
They are also sometimes referred to as brochettes in a French culinary context, though the term hatelet specifically emphasizes the decorative aspect.Cataloged By
Colin WhittleAcquisition
Accession
2025.1Source or Donor
Gordon DempsterAcquisition Method
Transfer