Mysterious and Very Wonderful Small Metal Cutouts, Presumed 19th Century French (Copy) antique New York The lip of the base

The lip of the base measures 2 1/2" across

shaped like a bottle--I am thinking perhaps made as a toy rattle to emulate a baby bottle

it feels to me like a place and a mood and a story

and the pin cushion relatively small

Mysterious and Very Wonderful Small Metal Cutouts, Presumed 19th Century French (Copy) antique New York The lip of the baseThese are completely wonderful, but I do not know their original purpose. Perhaps they were votive offerings? I found an image of a pair of French embroidery scissors c. 1850s with one handle very similar in silhouette to the man here, down to his extended hand. And of course the dainty crossed feet of the marvelously silhouetted woman remind me very much of antique machinist made ladies legs calipers. They all feel a bit as if miniature templates for