Portuguese birds

Portuguese earrings of birds bearing garlands in their beaks, circa 1800. They are silver and set with with golden topaz, pink topaz  and natural rock crystal in foiled and closed back settings. I believe they began life as ornamentation to be sewn onto the sleeves or bodice of a ballgown – there is a similar pair in the National Archeological Museum, Lisbon. The gold ear wires are later. They are 1 and 1/4 inches long and 1/2 an inch wide. Minor evidence of old fittings to silver reverse.

sold

similar in the Lisbon Museum