Pomander
The silver scent ball worn on a chain to protect against plague and bad smells.
People believed diseases spread through bad air and that pleasant smells protected. Those who could afford it wore a pomander, pomme d’ambre, with ambergris, musk, spices and herbs at the belt or round the neck.
The finest were jewels of gold and silver with a compartment for each scent. They show how perfume began as medicine and status symbol, long before it became a bottle on the dressing table.
Materials: Silver, sometimes gilt, with compartments for fragrant substances
Manufacture: Made by goldsmiths in Germany, the Netherlands and England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The round ball that opens in segments, like an orange.
The compartments for different scents, often with engraved names.
The loop for the chain or belt.