Scissors (part of a set)
1848–49
Medium
Steel
Dimensions
5 1/2 × 1 11/16 in. (14 × 4.3 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver In Combination
Culture
Russian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ralph McAllister Ingersoll, 1968
Accession Number
68.33.27
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture Decorative Arts collection, delicate *Scissors (part of a set)* J. Hobson & Son of England exemplify mid-19th-century metalworking finesse. Crafted between 1848 and 1849 from steel, with silver elements in combination, they measure a dainty 5½ × 1⅝ inches (14 × 4.3 cm). Produced during the Victorian era, when British artisans like Hobson specialized in precision tools for personal grooming, these scissors likely formed part of an elegant manicure or toilette set, blending utility with ornamental appeal. Their Russian cultural asso...