Rattle in the form of a lion, Nicolaas Swalue, 1778

filigree, h 9.5cm × l 13.0cm More details

Gold filigree is the craft of forming delicate patterns with thin wire and tiny beads of gold. This was a Dutch speciality. Certainly from 1650 nearly all cities in the Netherlands had one or more goldsmiths specialized in this complex technique. This rattle demonstrates that they were capable of making animal figures. The more fragile parts, such as the flute and the bells, are fashioned of little gold plates.