Bag

Unknown

last quarter 17th century · silk, metal · Costume Institute

By the seventeenth century, gift-giving had become an elaborate ritual among the upper classes. Monetary gifts were often presented in small decorative purses made from costly materials. Gift purses such as these enameled drawstring bags were a specialty of the French town of Limoges. These two bags with enameled portraits may have been intended as wedding gifts.

Artist

Unknown

Date

last quarter 17th century

Medium

silk, metal

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1930