Thimble
This thimble depicts a wedded or betrothed couple, alongside erotic nude figures. It is inscribed ‘La puissance d’amour/Desire n’a mon repos’, meaning ‘The power of love/My desire has no rest’. This suggests that it may have been a gift given to a bride or a mistress.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Engraved silver thimble, probably Netherlands, c.1600 |
| Physical description | Silver thimble with romantic and erotic vignettes, including a marriage scene and a couple making music together. The top decorated with a crowned heart, and the barrel surrounded with an inscription in French. |
| Marks and inscriptions | LA PUISSANCE D'AMOUR / DESIRE N'A MON REPOS
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This thimble depicts a wedded or betrothed couple, alongside erotic nude figures. It is inscribed ‘La puissance d’amour/Desire n’a mon repos’, meaning ‘The power of love/My desire has no rest’. This suggests that it may have been a gift given to a bride or a mistress. |
| Bibliographic reference | Read, Brian. Metal Sewing-Thimbles Found in Britain. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2018. ISBN 9781784919450 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.362-1940 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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