A Chinese purse, kidney shaped drawstring fastening.
The front face is made of white satin embroidered with colourful flowers and either a grasshopper or a cricket. The reverse face is made out of brown satin also embroidered with flowers, fine blue cord drawstring, lined cream cotton.
Made between 1880 and 1920.
The inclusion of grasshoppers and crickets on the white satin side symbolises good luck and prosperity in Chinese folklore. The Brown satin side depicts botanicals including flowers, fruits and leaves. The inclusion of grapes (top right) was used within this embroidery due to their believed symbol's ability to multiply. Including them on the purse infers the manifestation of increased wealth, alongside the pomegranate (bottom middle) which is also recognised within Chinese symbolism for its ability to multiply specifically within fertility for multiple sons. The use of symbols that inferred increased prosperity, multiplication and abundance was a welcomed inclusion into a monetary item.
