A purse designed with a sculptural woman seductively reclining on top of the closure with the body of the purse made from a silk textile. She is made of gold and is positioned across the width of the purse on a gold decorative surface, leaning on her left elbow, wearing a triangular covering embellished with diamonds and sapphires that partially covers from her waist to above her left knee. She wears long sapphire earrings and a diamond band across her head. The snap lock closure is decorated with a blue and green enamelled wave design occupying most of the width, with small black squares on each end adorned with a small diamond step design beneath. A gold triangular form with the monogram [RRF] is centered and overlapping the wave design featuring a round diamond and a green and black enamel pull ornament. The body of the evening purse is vertically designed, woven from black silk with a rounded bottom and strap.

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See more objects with the tag luxury, figural, women's accessories, egyptian, exoticism.

Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
1920	Work on this object began.
1930	Work on this object ended.
2017	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Object ID #907130315

This is a Purse. It was produced by Van Cleef & Arpels. It is dated ca. 1925–30. Its medium is gold, enamel, diamonds, sapphires, silk, cotton.

French jewelers were among the first to capitalize on the enormous public interest in the discovery in 1923 of treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt. Parisian jewelers created their own treasures in the Egyptian taste for wealthy American clients traveling abroad, such as this handbag clasp by Van Cleef & Arpels.

It is credited Lent by The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Lyon, 2009.378.