Images(2)

Pocketbook

Date1749 (dated)

OriginAsia, Turkey, Istanbul or Europe, Mediterranean (possibly)

MediumSilk satin, embroidered with colored silks, silver gilt threads, bullion, and plate; bound with metallic tape; lined with green silk; heavy paper stiffening.

DimensionsOL: 8 1/4" OW: 4 1/2" (Closed)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1990-3

DescriptionRectangular envelope-style pocketbook of cream silk satin decorated with silver gilt and silk embroidery and woven metallic edging binding the outer edges. Under the shaped flap are the embroidered words "Constantinople / 1749". The decoration on front, back, and flap consists of symmetrical wreath and scrolling tendrils with flowers in lavenders, blues, salmon pinks, and green. The interior is lined with plain-woven green silk and has a center divider of paperboard covered with green silk. The original gussets at the sides have been sewn together at a later date, probably as a repair method. Heavy paperboard stiffening.
Label TextA relatively large number of pocketbooks were embroidered with the city names of "Constantinople" in Turkey and "Tetuan" in northern Morocco. The surviving examples date from the late seventeenth century into the third quarter of the eighteenth century. It is presumed that the pocketbooks were souvenirs of the Grand Tour, but it is unclear whether they were actually embroidered in the locations written on them. A "Tetuan" pocketbook is interlined with old English-language printed papers, suggesting that it was made in an English-speaking area or under the direction of a British merchant.
MarkingsConstantinople 1749

Exhibition(s)