Posted 13 years ago
Agram.m
(762 items)
This is not a juwel but you could see it as a juwel. This is a so-called Minaudiere or little evening bag. It's a small decorative case for carrying small articles most of the time carring cosmetics (as possible in this one ). There is place for a lipstick, loose powder and rouge and a mirror for using the make up. It could be also used for jewelry, as a small clutch purse, often encrusted with precious or costume gemstones; invented and named by jewelers Van Cleef & Arpels in 1930 (probably from the French verb minauder, which means to smirk or simper), the original was metallic, and contained various small compartments for money, lipstick, keys, etc. - in accord with the streamlined Art Deco style prevailing in women's evening wear; now a generic term, referring to any small bag, though most properly one that is hard, hinged and opens with a clasp and often in figural shapes .
Is there someone who can tell me what's the origin and date of this little one? Please tell me!
I dont know the origin and date but I can tell you, I love it !
Thanks mswhite, I do too!
Beautiful bag, Agram!! Thank you very much for showing it to me. I don't know very much about evening bags, but I started digging when I saw your message on the vanity case show and tell entry. I also cannot see this bag very well - my laptop does not have high resolution. So my observations might be a bit off. : )
A photo of the clasp, hinges, and any markings might help date this more closely and might provide clues as to its maker. I do not know anything about hardware, but guys know that kind of stuff, and perhaps one of them could give an opinion on the clap and hinges. AR8Jason is very knowledgeable and very generous. If you wanted to take photos of those features, you could post it to a show and tell Part II. A photo of the loose powder filter/screen on tab might possibly provide dating or origin clues. The fittings on this bag look like they’re in excellent shape for a purse this old. That suggests quality. I initially thought that this might be suede, but I see a loose thread on one arm of the handle, and I am now wondering if this is cashmere, other wool, or perhaps felt. I am very ignorant of heraldry!!!, so I cannot read the shield. It doesn't look authentic to me, though I might be mistaken. It looks more to me like an elegant design than an authentic representation of the arms of a nobleman/woman/house. (A similar double-headed eagle with crown was featured on items designated for the Russian Czar and his family. The Polish also have a double-headed eagle, and the Germans may well also. There might well be other lines that use this emblem.) Is the eagle tarnished at the base? What is the metal it's made of, please?
I find it astonishing that there are no hallmarks on this bag. It leads me to wonder if a cosmetics-oriented firm produced this bag instead of a clothing designer. I looked around a bit for bags of this sort, and found several, and they were all hallmarked. One I encountered more often that the others was "Weber Minois". Follows a link to an article on Minois:
http://www.perfectlyvintage.co.uk/vintage_compacts/?id=1421
French couture and fashion has often drawn on Russian themes, costumes, and motifs for inspiration. I am not a student of haute couture or fashion, but off the top of my head I can say that French fashion was influenced by Russia around the turn of the twentieth century and into the 1930's, again in the sixties and perhaps seventies and eighties, and I see that Russian themes are once again influential. Here are some few links to articles illustrating Russian influence on French fashion.
http://www.parisvoice.com/voicearchives/99/oct/html/style.html
http://www.behindballet.com/
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/fashion/project-archives/3r/session-9a-the-politics-of-fashion-revolutions/
http://russia-ic.com/people/People_Fashion_Design%20/c/511
I did a Google Images search of your bag, and found nothing. I did a regular Google search and found nothing. I leave you with a link to an excellent website for designer handbags, 'Bag Lady University'. You will there find a vintage French minaudiere - not yours, but one probably of the same or similar vintage. This website identifies a reference work for bags: "Vanity Bags" by Gerson. I think that you should consult the work to see if it has your bag or a similar one. Here's a link to the book on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Vintage-Vanity-Bags-and-Purses-Roselyn-Gerson-1996-Hardcover-/243500
You could also forward a link of this show and tell item to the host of Bag Lady University, and ask for her opinion.
http://www.bagladyemporium.com/blu/index.php?n=Main.France
Sorry I wasn't more help, Agram. It was a great pleasure to work on this, and I thank you very much for your very kind words! Best wishes for success! miKKo
Hello MiKKoChristmas11,
What a time and effort you to examine and place that complete tale on this Internet site. Fantastically thank you very much for that! The time I got this complete long comment of you here in my homeland it was meanwhile deeply in the night. I don’t know where you live but I live in the Netherlands is. There are considerable time differences between Europe and the U.S.A. if that’s where you live. Therefore now my answer concerning the Minaudière. This evening case has been indeed made of substance a type suede but it senses as a velvet but this is not it. There are indeed no hallmarks or country mentioned in it and I have the idea that the weapon on the front is a type of decoration. But I do not know that for sure of course. The powder filter is an oval form and about that kind of thin fabric with tiny holes. I will ask Kevin (AR8Jason) if he has some idea what this kind of evening bag this is. In the recent past I “talked” with him by means of collectors weekly and indeed he is very skilled and very helpful. And it is also possible that there come responses from other collectors. You never know!
In any case thank you for your extensive comment once again. I intend these days to read all you mentioned too in your links. But this cost a little bit of time however, because finally English is not my mother language.
Hope to hear from you soon, wish you all the best!
Thank you very much, Agram, for your very kind and gracious words! It was a pleasure to work on this. If I find anything more, I will let you know. Regards, miKKo
Hello, Agram! I just received a generous word from a distinguished handbag collector: "The Bag Lady", Ms. Marian Spitzley of Bag Lady Emporium.com and Bag Lady University. I copy her fine response below.
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My first thought when I saw the pics was a similar shape bag by AGME Switzerland that I sold in 2007.
http://www.bagladyemporium.com/Index.php?DescriptorID_8=&DescriptorID_10=&DescriptorID_9=&DescriptorID_4=&DescriptorID_5=&Keyword=E00029&Archive=Yes
The interior finish, embellishment and materials were not the same. And I was quite sure I had seen the tassel handle and gold embroidery before as well as the metal fitting plate interior. My library didn't fail me! There are numerous examples of vanity bags of this style, materials and construction on pages 254-255 of "Vanity Bags & Purses" by Rosely Gerson. One of these, rectangular with tassels, black suede and gold embroidery, she attributes to Argentina. Her 1997 values for these bags range from $100-200. I believe these are Post-WWII manufacture.
Thanks for visiting The Bag Lady,
Marion Spitzley
Darlenedio thanks for your interest and loving
Inky thanks for watching and loving
Could you post a photo of the table this lovely bag is on? I can already see it has wonderful wood grain:)