Bag of tapestry woven silk and silver, 1600s, French; Sailing ship, stags, trees

Bag made of tapestry woven silver filé and silk thread in red, black, white, yellow, blue and shades of pink and green, lined with pink silk taffeta. It is made of 4 shield-shaped panels and the woven design includes sailing ship surrounded by birds and flowers, including variegated tulips on two sides; stags and an oak tree on one side and a fruit tree on the other. The seams and top edge are covered with ¼ inch (6 mm) wide silver-gilt woven lace. The drawstrings are a square braid of pink silk with 9 tassels covered of braided and fringed silver-gilt filé. There is a large tassel of braided and fringed silver-gilt filé at the bottom.

Towards the end of the seventeenth century, purse styles in England became increasingly more sophisticated. Their form changed from simple drawstring to more complex shapes, and they used a greater variety of materials. Many woven purses were made in France, and typical of these styles are silk- and metal-thread tapestry-woven purses, formed from four shield-shaped panels with naturalistic, pictorial scenes, such as this, with its fine detail of ships at sea.

552-1901