Pouch

This object is from the collection of Natalia de Shabelsky (1841-1905), a Russian noblewoman compelled to preserve what she perceived as the vanishing folk art traditions of her native country. Traveling extensively throughout Great Russia, she collected many fine examples of textile art of the wealthy peasant class. From the 1870s until moving to France in 1902, Shabelsky amassed a large collection of intricately embroidered hand-woven household textiles and opulent festival garments with rich decoration and elaborate motifs. The Brooklyn Museum holdings include many fine examples including the majority of the garments. Portions of Shabelsky's collection are also housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg.

This is a particularly high-quality accessory for both its materials and execution. The embroidery in precious metal threads as well as the quality silks and drawstring ribbon would have made this a prized decorative and functional object. Great care was taken in the realistic depiction of the tulip and carnation as well as the coordination of colors of the lining and ribbon drawstring.