Purse

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Purses of various shapes and sizes, carried by both men and women, were given descriptive terms in medieval inventories, such as bourse or poche à compartement. In the fifteenth century, purses with clasps of metal and loops on the rear which could be attached directly to the belt superseded the pouches which closed with drawstrings and hung from the belt. The clasp no doubt came into use to provide greater security for money or other valuables when the owner walked on crowed city streets. This purse has two inside pockets and a concealed smaller section with two small openings hidden beneath the front flat.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art