Gaming purse

French

Not on view

This is a fine example of the type of gaming purse used by the French aristocracy to hold their game pieces, and money, when playing at board games, cards or other entertainments at court. Typically, these bags had drawstring necks, like this one, and flat bases on which the owner’s coat of arms or heraldic devices could be represented, usefully avoiding any debates of ownership amongst competing players, distracted by their game! The device, with stars and crescent moon on this bag, has not yet been identified.

Gaming purse, Red silk velvet embroidered with silver and silver-gilt wrapped threads, French

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.