Featured Deer/stag brooch

Picked this up today at the car boot. Trying to figure out if there should be another deer in the abyss or if it should have a glass backing. It's ~50mm x 40mm

 

I would think a backing.

 

This is really cool and unusual.
Germany, Austria?

 

I would think his antlers, before they were broken, would hav filled much of that space.

Debora

 

There are a surprising amount of similars floating around the internet. This one shows complete antlers plus a second animal figure.

https://www.spicersauctioneers.com/...6e3991b429b74f737ad8/antique-fine-art-lot-45/

Debora

 

Mmmm. Yes. Perhaps they are truncated a bit.

 

Yeah. This is why I'm struggling to find what is missing. It seems no two are exactly alike.

 

The first Google hit I got stated 'Black forest'. So quite possibly. It certainly caught my eye, and when she asked for a pound, I couldn't resist.

 

These were generally carved in Switzerland.

 

Thank you.

 

They didn't have any backing, hence the breakage. I've found later ones done in celluloid or other plastics.

 

So no backing. Interesting. Thanks

 

Sinus this one made from antler then?

 

I’ve got a few of these. Sometimes another deer, sometimes a tree. I’ll fish a photo out, picked up a swivel one last week.

 

Thank you

 

This is the swivel one, Victorian again. Would have had something over the fabric.

 

Nice. Thank you. Why would it swivel? Would the owner want to conceal their deer?

 

It's a sentimental piece, you put hair in behind it, so I suppose you could show it or not.

This one is a tad later I think.

 

As Bear said, probably a mourning piece, or an engraved back or some such. It was meant to be reversible so you got two looks with one pin. Victorians did that because they could.

 

They did a lot of things because they could.