What are these oval-shaped ornaments hung from the waist in some 1600s-1610s French portraits?
I've been looking through the (unfortunately small pool of) French portraits from the 1600s-1610s for the purpose of recreating these styles for a game, and I've noticed these oval-shaped metal ornaments pop up a few times, but I haven't quite been able to discern what they are. Initially I thought perhaps they're pomanders, but that doesn't seem right as all surviving pomanders I'm seeing are spherical and often have holes for the fragrance to emanate from. The only other thing I could think of would be timepieces, since they seem to be the appropriate thickness and size for that.
* In the third portrait I included, of Marie de Medici, I'm not sure if it's also one of those same ornaments or if it's a portrait miniature.
u/star11308 — 1 day ago