Purse
1700-1750 (made)
| Place of origin |
Limoges marriage purse of pink silk brocade, edged with silver lace and enamelled miniatures of a betrothed couple attached to either side.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk, silver, enamel; hand-woven, hand-sewn |
| Brief description | French, 1700-50, pink brocade, silver lace, enamelled miniatures, workshop of Nouailher dynasty |
| Physical description | Limoges marriage purse of pink silk brocade, edged with silver lace and enamelled miniatures of a betrothed couple attached to either side. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Around the world, the practice of gifting decorative bags for betrothals and weddings has long been popular. These bags [FE.84, 85-2009] [IS.21-1981], sometimes known as dowry or marriage purses, are donated to wish the couple luck with their future life together and often contain coins to symbolise wealth or grains as a symbol of fertility. In 17th–century France, Limoges was an important manufacturing centre for marriage purses depicting a bride and groom on each side.
V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out. (12/2020) |
| Object history | Purchased from the Bernal Collection |
| Historical context | Betrothal purses were popular well into the seventeenth century and were given by groom to bride, representing the groom's wealth; they were sometimes given to wedding guests as well. The French town of Limoges was famous for its betrothal purses. The hollow interior of the purse may have also had an association with fecundity; filling it with money further emphasised the hope for a successful marriage based on prosperity and fruitfulness. The silk brocade forming the purse was probably remnants from a gown or waistcoat. Finely braided silver thread forms the ties of the purse, with passementerie acorns and finials of lace and pink silk in the shape of blossoms. The fashions depicted in the enamel date from ca.1690-1710, but the imagery on these pieces was repeated well into the eighteenth century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2042-1855 |
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| Record created | February 24, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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