Purse

Purses were small in the first half of the seventeenth century. Some were shaped from two pieces of fabric in a square or oblong, which closed with double drawstrings and were embellished with tassels. Others were rounded with a curved metal frame that closed with a latch or 'snap-hance'. While many purses that survive were made by professional workshops, some appear to be domestic work; these are sometimes dated, intended perhaps as a gift, bearing a message, name or monogram.