18th Century Babies’ Rattles

Last updated: Jan 7, 2024

Extant rattles

• Christie’s 8841, Lot 353, a Dutch child’s silver rattle and whistle, c. 1669
• Rijksmuseum BK-NM-8994, a gold rattle with a whistle and a piece of rock crystal, Netherlands, c. 1685-1700
• Christie’s 2593, Lot 578, a silver and red coral rattle and whistle, probably late 17th or early 18th century England
• National Trust 1298783, a child’s silver rattle in the form of a mermaid blowing a trumpet, with a whistle and five bells, continental
• National Trust 1298784, a child’s silver rattle in the form of a unicorn, with a fish tail and three bells on a chain, probably Scandinavian
• Met 33.120.361, rattle with whistle and bells, made by Richard van Dyck, New York City, c. 1740-1750
• Christie’s Lot 54 / Sale 5984, a silver rattle and whistle, probably mid-18th century
• Glenbow S.62.35.1
• V&A M.18-1996, silver and coral rattle, England, c. 1750
• Met 47.70, rattle with whistle and bells made by Nicholas Roosevelt, America, c. 1755-1768; “This rare and precious gold toy, with its elaborate chased and repoussé ornament, might have been given as a lavish christening gift. It consists of a whistle, a piece of teething coral, six of the original eight bells, and a loop to hang a toy on a ribbon around the child’s neck. Aside from being a teething device, the coral in the whistle and bells was thought to ward off enchantment and disease.”
• PMA 1970-81-1, made by John Leacock in Philadelphia, c. 1756-1760
• Christie’s 5000, Lot 74, probably made by William Law in Dublin, 1765
• Colonial Williamsburg 1970-122, whistle with bells and coral made in London, c. 1766-1771
• Rijksmuseum BK-14684, a golden rattle with a whistle and a mother-of-pearl handle, made in Amsterdam in 1772
• Rijksmuseum BK-1961-60, a golden filigree rattle in the shape of a lion, made in Leeuwarden in 1778
• MFA 38.1284, Netherlands (?)
• Rattle at the Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud
• Palais des Beaux-Arts A.1203
• Palais des Beaux-Arts A.1912
• MFA 38.1321, France
• Percy Bysshe Shelley’s baby rattle, 1792 (you can hear it in this video)
• Christie’s 2657, Lot 114, a silver and red coral rattle, probably made in late 18th century England
• MFA 38.1322, England, c. 1800
• Christie’s Lot 382 / Sale 1689, a group of silver-mounted baby rattles from the 18th and 19th centuries, variously inset with red or white coral stems, with whistle and bell attachments

Depictions of babies and their rattles

• The nurse by Nicolas Bonart
• A mother and two children by Willem van Mieris, 1728
• Mrs. Sharpe and Her Child by Joseph Highmore, 1731
• Family group by John Wollaston, c. 1750
• Marie Zéphirine de France by Jean-Marc Nattier, c. 1753
• August Anthony Gustaaf Baron van Boetzelaer by Pierre Frédéric de la Croix, 1753
• Eleanor Carroll and her son Daniel by John Wollaston, c. 1755
• Isaac Winslow and his family by Joseph Blackburn, 1755
• Magdalena Anna Elisabeth van Boetzelaer by Pierre Frédéric de la Croix, 1758
• Portrait of two children by Joseph Badger, c. 1760
• Pieter Alexander van Boetzelaer by Pierre Frédéric de la Croix, 1760
• Drawing of a mother and child by Ferdinand Landerer (after Martin Johann Schmidt), 1760
• Child holding a rattle, c. 1760
• Mrs. Jacob Hurd and Child by William Johnston, c. 1762
• The Borris family by Anton Wilhelm Tischbein, c. 1770-1775
• Elizabeth Gay (Mrs. Thomas Bolling) with twin daughters Sarah and Anne by Matthew Pratt, 1773
• Frederik van Oranje-Nassau by Guillaume de Spinny, c. 1774
• Louis-Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Angouleme, 1776
• The Copley Family by John Singleton Copley, 1776-1777
• Marc-Etienne Quatremère and his family by Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié, 1780
• The Encampment at Blackheath by Paul Sandby, 1780
• Madame, Fille unique du Roi, sur les genoux de sa Gouvernante, 1781
• Playing with Baby by John Cranch, 1795
• Mary Ann Whiting and her son by Ralph Earl, 1796
• A family from Burgundy by Joseph-Marcellin Combette, 1798
• Johanna Sandrina Elizabeth Enschedé by Warnaar Horstink, 1799
• Mrs. Cephas Smith, Jr. (Mary Gove) and child by William Jennys, c. 1803