Antique Sterling Silver Art Nouveau Nail File Full Figure Maiden Handle 7in, For Sale

Antique sterling silver nail file with a full-figure Art Nouveau maiden on the handle, about seven inches long overall. The figure is repoussé, standing full length with both arms raised behind her head, flowers worked into her hair and drapery flowing to her feet, set inside a whiplash-scroll cartouche that runs into the ferrule. Both sides of the handle carry the figure.MARKS AND MAKERStamped STERLING on the neck of the handle. There is no maker\'s mark. The full-figure maiden in a whiplash frame is the design language of the Newark Art Nouveau makers, Unger Bros. and William B. Kerr in particular, and this handle sits squarely in that style, but it is unsigned and I am not attributing it to either house.CONSTRUCTION AND WEIGHTThe handle is a hollow sterling shell, as these were made, so it is light in the hand. Total weight is 33.9 g and a good share of that is the steel file. I am saying this plainly so you buy it as the Art Nouveau vanity piece it is and not for silver content. The handle is non-magnetic; the file is steel. No XRF or acid test has been done; the fineness rests on the stamp.MEASUREMENTSOverall length: approx. 7 in (178 mm) Handle: approx. 3.5 in Weight: 33.9 gCONDITIONAntique, used, unpolished. The figure is crisp with good relief and no dents or splits to the handle. Some light spotting to the silver at the crown, visible in the photos. Age tarnish throughout, which I have left as found. The file has surface wear and a few spots of corrosion toward the tip, consistent with a century-old tool; it is straight and firmly seated in the ferrule.Sold as found and as photographed. Ships with tracking, packed to protect the handle.