Chatelaines were worn by women, often attached to a belt or ribbon, and used to attach useful personal items such as a watch or scissors. This example has five chains from which items could be hung, one of which is double width.
The chatelaine is decorated with different scenes, including a man in Ottoman dress on horseback on the clasp, a courting couple on the central plaque, and a collection of musical instruments on the lower plaque. The decoration is a combination of repoussé work, where the shape is pushed through from the back, and chasing, where the pattern is pushed into the front of the metal with a tool.
On the scene of the courting couple, the maker has used a tool to mark out stripes on the man's trousers. This suggests that he may represent a sailor, who were often depicted as romantic figures in the 18th century.
