Bag, known as 'The Courtauld Bag'
Maker
Mosul, Northern Iraq, metalworker
1300-1330
1300-1330
Title
Bag, known as 'The Courtauld Bag'
Date of Production
(early 14th century) 1300-35
Medium
made from hammered brass sheet which is then chased and decorated with inlaid silver and gold with black infill
Dimensions
Height: 15.2 cm
Length: 22 cm
Length: 22 cm
Accession Number
O.1966.GP.209
Mode of Acquisition
Gambier Parry, bequest, 1966
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Location
On display
Keywords
wallets
Label Text
The Courtauld Bag is one of the most exceptional pieces of its kind. Roundels (discs) on the bag’s body feature musicians, revellers and horsemen. The key to the bag’s function is found on its lid. Here a courtly feast unfolds, framed by a band of inscriptions praising the ruler. Attendants in minutely patterned coats and sumptuous hats bring food and drink in luxurious vessels of the type found across Asia and the Middle East. An attendant at either end offers courtly entertainments of music and hunting.
In the centre sits an enthroned female figure, probably the ruler’s consort (khatun). Her personal attendant, wearing a similar bag across his chest, offers her a mirror. The loop attachments still present on the Courtauld Bag confirm it was likewise once worn with straps.
The bag’s unique shape and exquisite workmanship indicate it was a prestigious commission for a high-ranking woman such as represented on the lid. Perhaps it was made for a noblewoman of the Ilkhanid dynasty, a branch of the Mongol empire descended from Genghis Khan, centred in modern-day Iran and Iraq.
The shape of this exceptional object is unique in metalwork and has had various functions ascribed to it. New research suggests it was a bag made for a noblewoman of the Il-Khanid dynasty (1256-1353), part of the vast Mongol empire descended from Genghis Khan. The court scene on the lid shows a banquet with at its centre a lady seated alongside her husband on a double throne. They are surrounded by a retinue, including the lady’s attendant (to her right), who wears a similar bag suspended from his shoulder.
The meticulous inlay technique of this bag and much of its decoration are typical of the kind of luxurious metalwork Mosul was famous for producing before the Mongol invasion in 1262. Small roundels all over the surface contain musicians and revellers, while in the large roundels front and back are elaborately equipped horsemen. On the front of the bag a horseman is spearing a lion. On the back another has a falcon perched on his left wrist, a coil of rope suspended from his forearm and a decorative plume attached to his stirrup. The prominence of these two horsemen reflects the high status of hunting in the medieval Islamic world.
In the centre sits an enthroned female figure, probably the ruler’s consort (khatun). Her personal attendant, wearing a similar bag across his chest, offers her a mirror. The loop attachments still present on the Courtauld Bag confirm it was likewise once worn with straps.
The bag’s unique shape and exquisite workmanship indicate it was a prestigious commission for a high-ranking woman such as represented on the lid. Perhaps it was made for a noblewoman of the Ilkhanid dynasty, a branch of the Mongol empire descended from Genghis Khan, centred in modern-day Iran and Iraq.
The shape of this exceptional object is unique in metalwork and has had various functions ascribed to it. New research suggests it was a bag made for a noblewoman of the Il-Khanid dynasty (1256-1353), part of the vast Mongol empire descended from Genghis Khan. The court scene on the lid shows a banquet with at its centre a lady seated alongside her husband on a double throne. They are surrounded by a retinue, including the lady’s attendant (to her right), who wears a similar bag suspended from his shoulder.
The meticulous inlay technique of this bag and much of its decoration are typical of the kind of luxurious metalwork Mosul was famous for producing before the Mongol invasion in 1262. Small roundels all over the surface contain musicians and revellers, while in the large roundels front and back are elaborately equipped horsemen. On the front of the bag a horseman is spearing a lion. On the back another has a falcon perched on his left wrist, a coil of rope suspended from his forearm and a decorative plume attached to his stirrup. The prominence of these two horsemen reflects the high status of hunting in the medieval Islamic world.
Provenance
Information not yet known or updated
Exhibition History
Islamic Metalwork Touring Highlights Exhibition, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, 27/09/2019-12/01/2020; Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, 18/01/2020-20/09/2020; Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford, 10/09/2020-10/01/2021; Holburne Museum, Bath, 17/05/2021-01/08/2021
Court and Craft : A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/02/2014-18/05/2014
Court and Craft : A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/02/2014-18/05/2014
Inscriptions
Inscription: Glory and prosperity and (God’s) grace and eminence And fulfillment of wishes and prudence in deeds And respect and honour And benevolence and decent act (?) And undiminishing good-fortune And uninterrupted happiness And perfection and excellence And that is all.
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