Bag
1600-1630 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the 17th century, decorative purses such as this one were rarely used to carry money. Their wealthy owners engaged in few commercial exchanges requiring cash. Some were used as 'sweet bags', holding perfumed powder or dried flowers to scent linen accessories and undergarments while stored. Other purses served as a form of 'gift wrapping' for small presents or gifts of money. Purses could contain mirrors for grooming or function as sewing kits which held needles, thread and tiny scissors.
Most English embroidery designs of this period are inspired by flowers and plants, often copied from illustrated botanical books and herbals which were very popular at the time.
The thick application of the metal thread and extensive use of metal purl gives the purse a very rich three-dimensional texture.
Most English embroidery designs of this period are inspired by flowers and plants, often copied from illustrated botanical books and herbals which were very popular at the time.
The thick application of the metal thread and extensive use of metal purl gives the purse a very rich three-dimensional texture.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen, silk, silver, gold; hand-woven, hand-embroidered |
| Brief description | 1600-1630, English; linen embroidered with silver, silver-gilt and silk threads |
| Physical description | Bag of coarsely woven linen tent-stitched with silver filé and coloured silks in a pattern of roses, honeysuckle, carnation and pansies, with silver-gilt filé in plaited braid stitch. The corners have silver purl loops and small silk tassels. There are flat braided strings of pink silk and silver filé, with 2 large shaped tassels covered with silver filé, pink and green silks. The bag is lined with blue-green silk sarsenet. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Miss Winifred Mary Bompas |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In the 17th century, decorative purses such as this one were rarely used to carry money. Their wealthy owners engaged in few commercial exchanges requiring cash. Some were used as 'sweet bags', holding perfumed powder or dried flowers to scent linen accessories and undergarments while stored. Other purses served as a form of 'gift wrapping' for small presents or gifts of money. Purses could contain mirrors for grooming or function as sewing kits which held needles, thread and tiny scissors. Most English embroidery designs of this period are inspired by flowers and plants, often copied from illustrated botanical books and herbals which were very popular at the time. The thick application of the metal thread and extensive use of metal purl gives the purse a very rich three-dimensional texture. |
| Bibliographic reference | John Lea Nevinson, Catalogue of English Domestic Embroidery of the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries, Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Textiles, London: HMSO, 1938, p.98, plate LXIX |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.87-1935 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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