Green velvet game purse embroidered with silver thread and d - Lot 144

Green velvet game purse embroidered with silver thread and decorated with foliage, background with coat of arms parti d'Autriche et de Bourgogne (parti, au 1 de gueules à la fess d'argent, au 2 bandé d'or et d'azur à la bordure de gueules), green drawstring with tassels, red silk taffeta lining. Contains a small striped silk purse. Late 17th century H. 10 cm - D. 11.5 cm (slight wear) The arms are those of the Habsburgs of Austria in paternal line since the marriage of Maximilian I to Duchess Marie of Burgundy in 1477. Made in France, this type of purse was designed to hold the precious gold, silver, mother-of-pearl or tortoiseshell tokens used in games of chance. This example may have been a gift from a member of the French court to a male relative of this lineage, which had several marriages with the Bourbons in the 17th century: Philippe IV of Spain and Elisabeth de Bourbon in 1615, Anne of Austria and Louis XIII in the same year, and Marie-Thérèse of Austria and Louis XIV in 1660.