Mantua enamel badge

By the mid-18th century, the mantua had evolved into formal 'court dress'. Worn on specific royal occasions, such as receptions at Hampton Court or St James's Palace, court dresses were made from the most fashionable and expensive fabrics, and often woven with metal thread to sparkle by candlelight. The Mantua depicted on this pin was discovered in an attic, inside a trunk marked 'dressing up clothes'.