Bag
1600-1650 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Jacobeans loved imitating natural forms in their decorative arts and the shape of this purse resembles a bunch of grapes. Each grape was worked in the colours of blue, red, green or brown. A vine leaf has been worked at the top in shades of green.
The three-dimensional quality of the embroidery is achieved through the use of padding under detached buttonhole stitch. The threads over each grape are worked independently of the fabric below and attached only around the edges.
The delicate embroidery and small size of the bag suggest that it was probably intended to hold a keepsake or to wrap a gift of money, rather than everyday monetary use.
The three-dimensional quality of the embroidery is achieved through the use of padding under detached buttonhole stitch. The threads over each grape are worked independently of the fabric below and attached only around the edges.
The delicate embroidery and small size of the bag suggest that it was probably intended to hold a keepsake or to wrap a gift of money, rather than everyday monetary use.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered silk with silk thread, lined with silk, hand-sewn, hand-embroidered, hand-plaited |
| Brief description | Cylindrical bag of embroidered silk, Great Britain, 1600-1650 |
| Physical description | Cylindrical bag of embroidered silk. Hinged at the bottom and embroidered with detached buttonhole stitch in the shape of a bunch of grapes with a vine leaf at the top. With silk thread in shades of red, green, blue and brown. The lining and interior bag are made of green silk. The bag has a drawstring of plaited green silk thread with two embroidered finials in the shape of three grapes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs P. J. Swann |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The Jacobeans loved imitating natural forms in their decorative arts and the shape of this purse resembles a bunch of grapes. Each grape was worked in the colours of blue, red, green or brown. A vine leaf has been worked at the top in shades of green. The three-dimensional quality of the embroidery is achieved through the use of padding under detached buttonhole stitch. The threads over each grape are worked independently of the fabric below and attached only around the edges. The delicate embroidery and small size of the bag suggest that it was probably intended to hold a keepsake or to wrap a gift of money, rather than everyday monetary use. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.87-1965 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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