Beaded Purses

Each of us gives gifts to our loved ones. Some buy them in stores, while others prefer to make them by hand.
Two centuries ago, a popular and fashionable gift was a purse embroidered with beads.
Colorful glass beads have been used in handicrafts since ancient times, but the heyday of beadwork is considered to be the late 18th to early 19th centuries. The beads of that time were different from modern ones in size - they were significantly smaller.
For example, in one square centimeter of this beaded purse from the collection of the Narva Museum, there are 121 beads! Considering its size of 9 x 11.5 cm, through simple calculations, we can deduce that it took more than 10,000 beads to embroider one side of the purse.
Usually, ready-made patterns with various plots were used for embroidery. One of the "eternal" plots is flowers. On one side of the purse, on a mother-of-pearl opal background, there are twigs of a tea rose, while on the other side, there is a lyre surrounded by the same roses. The metal clasp is also decorated with an ornament of flowers and leaves. Often, the images had symbolic meanings, which we unfortunately do not know today. We can only speculate, based on modern interpretations of symbols, that the flower of a pink rose symbolized happiness, while the lyre was a symbol of creativity and inspiration.
Such embroidery required diligence, attention, and patience.
The intricacy of the work still amazes us even after two centuries!

Peenrahakott (NLM _ 1:768 Aj 1:768); Narva Muuseum SA;

Peenrahakott (NLM _ 1:768 Aj 1:768); Narva Muuseum SA;

Peenrahakott (NLM _ 1:768 Aj 1:768); Narva Muuseum SA;

Peenrahakott (NLM _ 1:768 Aj 1:768); Narva Muuseum SA;