They're some of my favorite decorative details, particularly when rendered in a material other than silk or thread. During my trip to D.C., amazing tassels of iron, brass, marble, and carved wood seemed to follow me everywhere.
From the carved marble tassels of Hiram Power's Greek Slave at the Corcoran...
... also seen in this 1848 daguerreotype from the collection of the Getty
To the carved wooden tassels on the frame of this mirror in the Renwick Gallery...
...to a solid brass mid-19th century curtain pull I found at an antiques shop in Old Town Alexandria and couldn't resist taking home with me...
... and finally a cast iron example from my collection similar to one on a piece of ironwork at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown.
