Memento of Rainbow

Silver inkwell in hoof

Horses' bodies sometimes held sentimental value, with many Australian horse owners of the late 19th and early 20th centuries choosing to preserve parts of their equine companions.

The owner of this object salvaged a hoof from their horse, Rainbow, and had Melbourne jeweller GH Palfrey embed in it a silver inkwell, as a desktop memento. The hoof would have been prepared earlier by a taxidermist.