GAMING PURSE
1660-1680
Gaming or gambling with cards was a popular 17th-century pastime. A gentleman or lady who did not participate in games such as 'Quadrille' and 'Basset' would have been considered 'low-bred and hardly fit for conversation' according to 'The Compleat Gamester', published in 1674. Typically, a gaming purse had a flat, circular base with sides gathered on a drawstring.
Velvet, embroidered with silver and silver-gilt thread
France
Museum no. 1119-1869
[01/01/2008]