| "This is a belt pin by Kerr. It is large for a pin, about 2.75" wide, and very high relief, with a three-dimensional face, art nouveau swirls in the hair, and the suggestion of wings at the side. The back is closed (soldered flat back.) Manufacturers pressed blac pitch into the very high relief areas of their designs, such as the nose and chin, to give these fragile and damage-prone parts of the piece extra backing to protect them from being dented or pushed in. Sometimes you find a piece in which some of the pitch has dried up and loosened, and you can hear the piece of dry pitch rattling around inside when you shake the pin or buckle." |
