A Small Crepe Silk Drawstring Bag: Intensely Piece Constructed

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
4" x 5" x 5", 10 cm x 12.75 cm x 12.75 cm

The surface design on this very small silk bag is not printed--look closely and you will see the design is hand stitched entirely from small pieces of cloth. Yes, the complex design of light toned and blue toned silk is from small pieces, each expertly hand stitched to the other to create this perfectly executed design.

The bottom of the bag is delightful, too, as it shows a pieced scene of Chinese children at play. As can easily be seen by looking at the bottom of the bag is shows some foxing, ingrained dirt and wear. 

The bag itself shows some frayed silk edges as it was clearly treasured and used quite a bit by its original owner.

Something of a small marvel, this is a really lovely thing to own.