Letter Wallet
1682 (dated)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Folding leather letter cases with divided pockets were used for letters, bank bills and documents of value. They were sometimes brought back as souvenirs by travellers or given as gifts by foreign envoys. Many originate from Turkey and some bear dates and monograms. This example is inscribed SR WILLIAM PORTMAN, CONSTANTINOPLE 1682.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered leather in metal threads and lined with silk |
| Brief description | Leather wallet lined with silk and embroidered with metal threads, Istanbul, dated 1682. |
| Physical description | Brown leather folding wallet divided into four sections across the width, lined with faded yellow/beige silk and embroidered with fine silver and gold metal threads and green silk. The embroidered designs are delicate arabesques decorated with stylised flowers and leaves. The wallet folds four times and the back is plain. The top flap is shaped into a point and a metal ring is attached to the end. Probably fastened with a ribbon, which is now missing. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'Sr William Portman / Constantinople 1862' (Embroidered in gold thread) |
| Credit line | Given by Claire Wilcox |
| Object history | Registered File number 1981/830. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Folding leather letter cases with divided pockets were used for letters, bank bills and documents of value. They were sometimes brought back as souvenirs by travellers or given as gifts by foreign envoys. Many originate from Turkey and some bear dates and monograms. This example is inscribed SR WILLIAM PORTMAN, CONSTANTINOPLE 1682. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.40-1987 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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