Purse thumbnail 1
Purse thumbnail 2
Not on display

Purse

early 18th century (made)
Place of origin
France (made)

Early 18th century flap purse, green silk damask, sablé beads, metallic silver bobbin lace, French.

Object details

Category
Bags
Object type
Purse
Materials and techniques
damask, beads, beading, lace
Silk
Damask
Beads
Lace
Beading
Lace
Brief description
Flap purse, silk damask, beads, lace, French, early 18th century
Physical description
Early 18th century flap purse, green silk damask, sablé beads, metallic silver bobbin lace, French.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13cm
  • Width: 25cm
Gallery label
(12/2020)
In the 18th century, making small beads was a highly technical skill limited to a few manufacturing centres worldwide. A painstaking beadwork technique known as sablé (French for ‘covered with sand’) may have been mastered by just two Parisian workshops, producing exclusive items such as this purse with allegorical scenes.

V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out
Bibliographic reference
Bags V&A Exhibition (Project) Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 43
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.178-2019

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Record createdDecember 17, 2018
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1467744/purse/
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